I want to comment a bit about prejudices, and Ethnocentrism.
It turns out, that most people are guilty of this at some point or another of this, in some variation, whether they mean to or not. This includes myself. Overcoming this involves being curious about other cultures, and sharing things like arts & music, and other creative things.
Being or doing something Ethnocentric just means to judge people or persons of another culture by the standards of YOUR values & views from YOUR culture.
Even tho' it's not a good thing, it's important to keep in mind that people of another culture have a different view or perspective than that of your own, be aware of it, and ask yourself: am I being ethnocentric? Don't beat yourself up if you find out that you might have been... Instead, learn from it.
It's TOTALLY OKAY to shift your view of the way you view the world, and not just your micro version of the world, because it will broaden WHO YOU ARE. Others may feel threatened by it, and try to deter you from it, because people fear what they do not understand. (things that are different)
But, I can assure you, there's NOTHING better than the realization that you WERE WRONG about something, and then OVERCOMING it. Because you can FINALLY grow as a person.
This type of theme was ULTRA popular in the 1990s, but also throughout the 20th Century. And even uncovering that you were wrong or misjudged someone, or even about yourself.
(1990s) Movies I loved were:
The Jungle Book (Jason Scott Lee version) Dragon; Bruce Lee Story (Jason Scott Lee) Map of The Human Heart (Jason Scott Lee) Clueless Blade (Wesley Snipes) The Matrix
Titanic Mortal Kombat (The Movie) Jungle Fever The Lover (1992 Tony Leung) Terminator 2; Judgement Day Shindler's List Fight Club Home Alone Pocahontas The Lion King Beauty & The Beast Mulan The Sand Lot Radio Flyer The Good Son Sidekicks Beethoven (the dog movie) Pretty Woman Gattaca Contact Liar Liar The Game The Mask Ace Ventura; Pet Detective I & II Sister Act Dangerous Minds Rush Hour (Jackie Chan) Bio-Dome In The Army Now Cool Runnings Forrest Gump Problem Child Best of the Best (1989)
(and, yes, I was a fan of Jason Scott Lee in case you were wondering)
Films like this have an emphasis on "learning your lesson" and growing as a person, maturing, and giving back to your fellow human society in a good constructive, productive and genuine way by also being "true to your heart". "Being the better man" even if someone is unwilling to be civil, and unwilling to let go of their prejudices by continuing to cling to it & fear-based ego driven ideals or judgements. To do the right thing.
Watching films like these, or even TV content from that period is like night and day compared to now. Now, you can find themes justifying torture frequently in TV shows. I've seen MORE rape depicted in films today than ever. And, I'm not talking about making the case against it like "The Color Purple" (1985) but a very gratuitous amount, often to entice viewership. It's VERY dark.
I used to think Chinese & Japanese films had an overdo of dark & tragic themes, such as rampant rape & torture, but I think content from the USA has far eclipsed it now.
But, art is art... and I don't think artists should be censored too much.... if at all...
The unfortunate thing about themes & media today is that they very rarely seem to make the case against theses actions or conduct on an inner level. Like, there's no moral to the story... Not that all stories require morals, and I understand entertainment for entertainment sake... but, it's just not there so much...
It's this: Be afraid. Look out for yourself. Dog eat dog. Take it while you can, winner takes all, over the top stuff... Or stuff that reinforces prejudices. advocates in favor of it, sometimes in subtle ways, others in your face...
And, sure, I do watch some of it... but, not all...
(Gratuitous content I have watched: Spartacus Blood & Sand (and the spin-offs), Game of Thrones, Star Trek Enterprise, 24, Lost, The Event)
Yet, I especially don't watch so-called "reality TV".
As for me, overcoming a number of things (prejudices) involves being open to other cultures, including films, music, etc...
As I mentioned, I was very anti Japanese animated content, because most of the junk I'd known was what I saw on TV. But, when I was in college, there were SOOOOOOO many kids that loved anime.
If you didn't know, Anime movies/videos are VERY expensive, even if they are the bad quality ones. But, the experience of going to college is a VERY good one and helps one to open up and GROW as a person. Something I liked very much was how freely everyone wanted to share movies & music together.
When I was younger, like I said, I loved techno music even if it was in a different language, like German, or in Chinese. And, I got so much heat & hate for it. When I was in college I recognized that my classmates also loved the Japanese content in the same way that I loved mine, and that they had ALSO undergone the EXACT same kind of hate & prejudices others also had. So, I could identify with them... and so, I found myself opening up to all kinds of Japanese movies, videos, and even some music.
It's ironic because, now today due to the internet being FAR more accessible, there have been a number of forign hits world wide due to memes, such as: Numa Numa (Dragostea Din Tei) Caramel Dansen BoA
-and the newest and biggest hit: Psy's "Gangnam Style":
So, altho there is so much prejudices on the usual fronts in the media, you can find that in arts & music we've come quite a long way! And, it makes me feel good about Humanity...
Often people would say to me:
How can you listen to this or that music? It's in German!
To which I would laugh: Well, I can speak German! XD
If I listened to Kelly Chen in any number of languages she sings in (Cantonese, Mandarin, English, Japanese) did it really matter what the language was?
When Blümchen (Jasmin Wagner) became a HUGE hit in Sweden with the song "Nur geträumt..." (Only Dreamed...) years after it was originally released, they asked her why she thought the song was so popular even tho' most people couldn't understand the words in Scandinavia, and she even had an English version ("Just A Dream..."/Blossom) but no one liked that version as much as the original version in German, she often would comment, laughingly, that she felt that the words really didn't matter, the feeling did, and if the feeling was good then that was all that mattered.
She said that when she was little she loved music by a Swedish rock band Roxette (Joyride, Listen To Your Heart, It Must've Been Love) and learned all the words to the songs because she just loved the music, even tho' she couldn't understand what they were singing about. Then, because of music, she learned to speak English.
It's like that with me as well.
I would like very much for the world to overcome more prejudices. At times things seem like they are, and other times I question whether we might ever get there...
Remember how I said I liked things that reminded me of my own work, or ideas? Well, it's true.
When The Matrix came out, I was BLOWN AWAY. It was loaded with subculture, underground themes, it mixed & blended ideas that were already around but MOSTLY just among others on the internet, like myself at the time, as well as mixing Asian, European, American, and Australian cultural themes. It has a very anime or even a comic book feel, but more Anime/Manga than anything... It has both what you would call "higher thinking" ideas as well as "deep thinking" if you care for philosophy... The classical types of what Science Fiction was originally about.
They used innovative new technologies with cameras, and ways to shoot film..
It was the big project by Wachowski Brothers, now known as just The Wachowskis.
Wouldn't it be great to do something THAT big, some day?
I've been upfront, quite often, since I was very, very, young that the artist I'd idolized the most was Disney animator: Glenn Keane.
But, there have been so many very talented animators, and artists which have worked for Disney.
Often when you think of what a "Disney" style is, which I'm often commented upon as resembling is often credited to the work of (but not limited to) artists like Fred Moore.
If you read the thick text-book-like book called "The Illusion of Life" they make much mention, and give quite a bit of credit of this lovely artist.
He is most known for his "girls".
I've read many many accounts of people talking about how "everyone wanted 1 of his girls" meaning a sketch by him, and I've even heard/read that he had his own fan club.
If you look at his work, often times you might notice how often some of his "girls" look very similar to Hollywood Movie Star, Veronica Lake.
Altho' I personally don't care to draw the way Moore did, I very much enjoy his work. He was VERY expressive in his style & gestures, and was very good at capturing & expressing a very fem vibe in his work.
I think most often when I mention Moore, people think of his work in the Masterpiece film "Fantasia".
Fantasia, in my opinion as an artist, is 1 of the finest works of animated cinematic art EVER CREATED.
It was ground breaking at it's time, and used many techniques, and technologies that no other work nor art & cinema had ever used before, and REALLY stretched, pushed, and pulled the VERY best of of the artists of that time. It's a gem for the entire human race in creativity, imagination, and beauty.
It blends cultural ideas such as mythology, fantasy, classical music, and musical pieces that were themselves ground-shaking & groundbreaking when they'd 1st come out.
It is SO good, that it makes me cry sometimes, because I truly can appreciate it, being that I myself am an artist. Of all the old original classics created when Walt was alive, the 2 films which stand out to me THE MOST in it's INCREDIBLE skills of artistry, Fantasia is 1, and the other is "Pinocchio".
Moore's body-types for his girls altho' I do like, sometimes are a bit too adolescent yet sexy for my own personal tastes. Altho' sometimes they often resemble Veronica and her body type, they also have a very 12-13 year old baby-fat plumpness which isn't my thing... But, I supposed back then, that is what was considered beautiful to either men, or at least Fred Moore.
The body-types of his "girls" are often more demure in the upper body half, with baby-faced facial looks, and similar poses to "pin-ups" at the time, but the bottom halves of the female figures are often very plump, and more adult-like.
I like very expressive art. Typical animators generally do. But, I also like realism, exaggeration, and stylization as well.
My style is still very influenced by artists from the 80ss & 90s in American comics, and Katzenberg Disney films.
If you've NEVER even seen the book "The Illusion of Life", I would recommend you to at least try and find it in your local library, or book-store. It's QUITE expensive, and I'm sill astounded that I even have a coppy of it myself, because I almost didn't get it.
In 1999, I was living in Center City/Fairmount Park area Philadelphia, down the street from the Art Museum at a place called "Parktown Place" (Ben Franklin Parkway). I had somehow gotten some money, but I don't recall how. I'd often come in and out of money whether finding some way to sell something, do some kind of work, or job, or people would give me something saying that college students need some cash, so here's my contribution... etc...
I went to classes at The Art Institute on Chestnut St. and often went to Liberty Place which is a set of skyscrapers with neon lights lining it at night (the most beautiful ones in my opinion) that are connected at the bottom by a small 2 floor mall. On the 2nd floor, was a small bookstore. Maybe Walden Books...
I'd had an evening class, which I'd discovered early on were a waste of money since the night teachers were lazy, and left class early, yet you still had to pay the full price like any day class.
So, when the teacher went to break, and NEVER returned, I left the class, saw the computer labs were full, and decided to walk back to my apartment... But, when I left the building, I'd noticed that the Mall was still open, because it usually closed at around 7-7:30.
Why? I don't know... So, I went into the mall, and I was hungry... I saw the food court was open, and there were still patrons inside shopping... but, not much... I wasn't sure when the mall would close... and, most of the food from the food court vendors looked to old, and not very fresh... so, I decided to go to the bookstore...
I entered the bookstore, and saw no one there...
I thought that was very odd...
Was I being watched? Or, was whoever was supposed to be working just being lazy & taking a nap? Don't they worry about being robbed?
So, I went to the back of the store, and I saw all the books about animation... I'd already gotten a copy of Preston Blair's animation book, so I didn't think I needed any other books. And, I also had 2 "Dynamic" books by Burne Hogarth. So, I thought I was pretty set. As for as the "reading list" or the "book list" of recommended materials were concerned, I was pretty set, none were required, and most instructors made copies from these books as hand-outs anyway... so, I was rather pleased with myself, and felt I was somewhat ahead of everyone else for the most part, in the new students.
As I went to the back, and overlooked the books, I was well aware in a number of expensive books, and the cash "burning a hole in my pocket". So, I wanted to invest in something... but which book?
At the time, 3D was very new, and VERY HOT, and I was seriously considering a career as 3D (CGI), even tho' most of my peers were more Traditional, and I ALSO favored Traditional 2D animation.... So, I focused my attention on some 3D books...
Finally, I pulled out 3 books, and wanted to choose 1 of those, and I leafed through them.
Which one? Which one?? Which one???
I stood there undecided...so, I compared the prices...
Hmmm.... Not sure...
Then, I removed 1 book, and had 2 to choose from....
Until, I'd decided on 1 of them... I stood a moment and pondered about whether I'd really wanted it or not, and determined that I did.
So, I went back to return the other book, as still no one was in the store...
As I laid it down, and was about to go pay for the book in my hand/arm, a young man (older than me) just randomly appeared. He wasn't there, and then suddenly HE WAS!
I gasped.
He looked Milato. He had blue-ish gray eyes, and light African textured hair that was growing very long in dreadlocks, with adornments in it, tied back, wearing the bookstore logo baseball cap that most stores back then required workers to wear, and an apron, with a logo of the store. He was slightly tall, slim, and muscular, with a very multi-etchnic look, with very handsome features, and almost breathtaking good looks. His voice was both calm, casual and laid back, but you could tell he was highly intelligent, had a high vocabulary, and was very articulate.
He looked me in the eye, and began talking. He told me:
"Oh, no. You don't want that one."
I was taken aback. Who the heck was this guy? What does he mean I don't want this one? I'd just spent that whole time desiding which book I wanted, and I'd finally decided. I definately wanted this book. Who was he to tell me?
I was really perplexed.
So, I spoke back to him: "Excuse me. What?"
And, he said it again. "You don't want that one."
"What do you mean?" I asked.
Then, he walked over to me, clutched the book, and talked some more...
He said, "Trust me. You don't want that one. That's the wrong book." and he flipped through it commenting on the pages as to how cheesy, cheap, and overpriced it was, and all it was was glossy paper.... "See? I'm telling you, you really don't want to waste your money on this junk."
I told him, of course I wanted this book, and that it was new, cutting edge, showed new examples of work in 3D and so on... but, he stopped me from talking, and he said, "You're in Animation, right?"
So, strange! HOW DID HE KNOW THAT?
I'd NEVER seen him before! I was shocked... and before I could answer, he said "At the Art Institute, right?" I was stunned... did he go there too? I wasn't even in Animation 1 class yet, just the starting classes... and I'd NEVER seen him before. I knew the upperclassmen, their names, and I'd NEVER seen him among them either...I'm quite sure I would've recognized someone that looked the way he did. Extra big baggy pants, and all...
So, I asked him if he went there too.... he told me he did, even knew the names of the teachers, my teachers, which classes I was in, and even the names of my friends, like Shan (my roommate) & Kyle, and their close friends. So, he kept talking, and I kept listening... He also told me he was often in the animation room working on his reel & portfolio, and invited me to talk to him there anytime.
Since he'd seemed so knowledgeable and friendly. I just relaxed and listened to him... He laid down the book, and said he would show me which book I actually should get.
He lead me to a different shelf near the ground, in a different section, bent down and pulled the heavy, hard covered book "The Illusion of Life".
I was NOT happy about that. So I protested. I said, "No, I don't want that." But, he kept insisting.
"I'm TELLING you, THIS is the book you want! This is THE book. It's on the top of the recommended reading list for a reason."
He told me it was the best animation book. I told him I'd already gotten the Preston Blair book, and even books by Burne Hogarth, but he wouldn't waver in how adamant he was. He took off the plastic wrapping on the book, and began showing me the pages in the book. He went on, and on, about it.
Then, I turned it over and saw the price, and I freaked out. It was nearly ALL the money I had. And, I was upset. I told him it was too expensive, and I didn't want to spend all my money. He told me to calm down, and he would give me a discount... and talked to me for a long time, about several other things, even made jokes, and so on... he was very nice, and very likable...
So, I wasn't sure whether he was just being a very convincing salesman, and I was just some sucker, or whether he was just being a friendly fellow student artist/animator...
He took me to the front, rang up the book, bagged it, and talked a little bit more...
He told me he'd see me in school, and that he worked again the next day.... then, I decided I should go back to my apartment (a long walk) and said good-bye.
When I left the Mall, I looked back at the mall as I was leaving and saw all the lights were off... that was strange... but, I shrugged it off... I've seen stranger things... so, whatever...
So, I went home, with this very heavy, VERY expensive book.. and put it on the table... I leafed through it. It was very good... but, none of my classmates had the book, and I wasn't sure I even wanted it... But, I was hungry, so I put it down and ate... then forgot about it...
My roommate Shan hadn't been back a in while, since she was mostly w/her boyfriend (also my friend) and the other roommate was so lazy that she'd gotten kicked out of school. So, I was by myself... and the book just lay there... I put my name on it, sketched in my sketchbook, and went to bed... That was it...
The nest day, I went to school, and I went to the animation room to see if that guy was there. I had many questions, and I'm a curious person... but, I didn't see him in there... I checked several times that day, but he wasn't there...
So, I went to the Mall again (Liberty Place) and went to the bookstore, and found that he wasn't there... On my breaks from class I would either check the animation room/floor, or the bookstore... and I never found him...
The following day, the same thing. The weekend, the same thing... during the week, the same thing...
So, I gave up, after about a month, and was about to forget about it...
Then, my roommate came back... and she was hanging out with me, when she noticed the book.
And, she gasped and freaked out!
"Oh-my-gosh! When did you get 'The Illusion of Life'?"
Her reaction was strange to me... I knew of no one else that wanted that book, no one that had it, and no one that ever wanted it...
So, I told her about that guy, and and told her he pushed me to get it. Then, I asked her if she knew the guy.
She was perplexed and asked "Who?". So, I described him. I told her he knew her, and all her other friends, including Kyle. She just drew a blank...
So, she asked me if she could look at the book, or borrow it, and I said she could. And, being a nice as she was, she gave it back one day. (Shan was always so nice to me. Very supportive, friendly, kind. I liked her lots.)
Then, even Kyle came over and the SAME reaction: OMG! You have The Illusion of Life!!!!
Kyle had more in depth knowledge of animation, and animation history than anyone else I knew. SO, I very much respected whatever he said. Both he & Shan were AMAZING artists too. Shan had great tastes in art like I did too, like 80s stuff, and they both had the BEST sense of humor!
I asked my teachers, and other students about that guy, and NOT A SINGLE PERSON knew who it was. I also NEVER saw him at the bookstore. I even met a girl who worked there and asked her about him, and she looked perplexed. "Who?" Nope. never heard of him...
It's not the kind of face you could EVER forget. The hair, the eyes, the tan skin, the voice.... There was a kind of almost powerfully angelic quality to the guy.
After September 11th (2001), one day, I'd found the book in my portfolio case in storage... I was trying desperately to get work in my field, with no luck... and, there was some kind of storm, or something in Lewes Delaware, where my Mom lived.
So, I pulled it out, and had several times, sort of, hated myself for purchasing such an expensively decedent book, when I probably should've brought groceries... the only other book I'd ever bought like that was the hard-cover book about the making of Pocahontas, which was FILLED with the artwork of my idol, Glenn Keane. But, this was something I knew very little about...
But, oh "this is the book you really want"... well.... I got no career to show for it... didn't help me at all... should I sell it?
So, I sat on the sofa, petting Mom's dog, Tonka, on the head... and opened it... I looked through it, page after page, after page.... then back...
Then, I turned to the front and ACTUALLY started to READ it...
What an idiot I was!
It REALLY was the book I needed.
Page 13:
1. An Art Form Is Born (read it)
....and they even cite Glenn in the book (Page 11/Acknowledgements).
It's 1 of those "in the know" books. People who KNOW what it isfreak out when they see it! It's so expensive that it's practically a luxury item, or even a status symbol to own one...
There were a number of people whom told me they'd tried in vain to get their own copy, but today, I believe you can find them online easily.
But, if I recommend it to others whom didn't know of it, they are very nonchalant about it, like whatever... oh... that's nice...
If you read the 1st 3 chapters, it really gives you some interesting content (so keep reading), and also ideas into looking up what they're discussing. In some ways the book is intended for instructional purposes, but it's also a historical reporting item of reading material, with LOADS of graphics. They even discuss science, anthropology, philosophy, film, and more.
If you've ever seen my animation reel, my logo has Lively morphing into a Black Unicorn. In fact back in the late 1990s, and early 2000s my online alias was usually "ZBlackUnicorn", "BlackUnicorn, or "EbonyUnicorn" (or perhaps some variation of that...
Not only did I already have a story with Lively and Dragons, but, I'd read a book of short stories ("Immortal Unicorn") edited by Peter S. Beagle (The Author of "The Last Unicorn") in which he'd added his own whimsical short story, of a girl that was some kind of, I guess, closet magical witch that enchanted a unicorn painting and, a tiny unicorn popped out...
So, after I'd read that, I started sketching whatever was in my mind, and somehow Lively began popping into the sketches...
I'd also gotten into ancient fairytales from China such as "Xi You Ji" (The Journey West) which was about the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, and how he was born from a stone, as well as other even more ancient stories from the "Feng Shen Bang" (which is even older than The Bible) about the story of Nezha whom was born as a fairy from a lotus, similar to Thumbelina.
So, I started writing versions of a story involving Lively, but set as a teenaged girl (about 18 years old), even tho' I was already about 22 or 23 when I'd written it...
I'd originally started to write it in a paper notebook, while I was running my business selling artwork up here in Greater Boston. I would jot down whatever came into my head, and just go with it.
It's also written saucy stories about Werewolves with a Chinese theme, among many other stories. But, the story "Lively's Mini Unicorn" was my favorite. I'd originally tried to publish it to Elfwood, but there were just TOO many coding problems, that even if I COULD get it to work, the admins wouldn't approve it, or if they WOULD approve it, the coding didn't work. So after multiple tries, and so much frustration I gave up. (I suck at programming.)
But, then, I'd rewritten it a few more times, and published some chapters to Deviant Art. However, I STILL think they are in need of a SERIOUS re-write YET AGAIN.
Anyways, during that time, I noticed that Lively started to morph into a Unicorn theme. Many of my sketches of Lively would turn out with her having an Alicorn (the correct term for a Unicorn's Horn: SEE MY BLOG POST HERE FOR MORE INFO). I actually had several sketches of this stuff, and I'd also gotten pregnant with my daughter Heidi.
As you can see, sometimes Lively is depicted with black hair & a tan... but, next thing I knew, because I was VERY into Furries, I wanted to do UNICORNS!
I also sold a number of Furries, got Furry/Anthro commissions, and had many relationships with fellow Furry artists, as well as getting to know folks in The Gryphon Guild which is FULL of mixed fantasy artists usually doing Furries, Anthros, Dragons, and Unicorns too.
The Guild was VERY good to me. I made MANY connections, and I'd helped MANY young artists and to build their confidence.
Before I knew it, there was this Unicorn Anthro Maiden that kept coming out in my sketches... I kept feeling that she was somehow so familiar...
Who should I name her???
But, I couldn't name her!
Then, I realized it! No wonder! That's Lively!
But, I noticed that as an Anthro' Unicorn, Lively DIDN'T want to be BLACK. She WANTED to be WHITE! How VERY funny! Because my symbols were always "Black Unicorns" since the mid 90s, but White Unicorns before that... (80s)
But, NO! Lively just insisted on being a white unicorn!
So, that's how I sketched her.
I had a number of those sketches, and I don't know where they are... Perhaps I'll find them someday, and share them here....
Anyways, I did some of these artworks in a sexy style, often nude, or in a leather corset or bodice.
It's not uncommon for artists to have a tendency to gravitate towards the artwork of those that do similar things that you like. As for me, since Lively is my most used & utilizes, most drawn, and most written about character, whom I put so much of my creativity into, and did (or still do) the majority of my learning with creatively. So, it goes without saying that if someone does a character, or some artwork, that reminds me of her, I will most like LOVE it. Nothing unusual about that.
I noticed that when the very fist installment of the Lord of The Rings Trilogy "The Fellowship of The Rings" hadn't even come out for release in the theaters, but MUCH of the promotional materials were easily accessible, there was this noticeable trend in the art of MANY artists to do a very European whimsical theme with Medieval & Renesance styles, very much inspired by the work & designs from the film directed by Pete Jackson. But, even recently, they've made a swing towards a Tribal Fusion, or Oriental/Middle-Eastern/Mediterranean/North-African flavor, or even Steam Punk.
The most noticeable of this trend were in French Female artists. They would blend similarities from Anime, which had also been inspired by the LOTR novels, but with some elves called Dark Elves.
As I'd already mentioned, I was somewhat inspired by the "Heavy Metal" Magazine in the 80s & 90s, which was actually originally a French magazine from France. I do very much like many Europeans styles of comics & cartoons, because they tend to focous on very expressive ways of portaying Romance, emotions, passion, and even prefer their ways of portraying sexualty, sexual situations, and sex.
Off the top of my head, these are just SOME of the noteworthy French artists that I like:
And, this one here has to be my favorite of them all: Vyrhelle-Vyrl
There are also some Belgian comic/cartoon artists that are also worthy of mention. I know that Belgium is NOT France, but their comics are usually all published IN FRENCH, which I CAN'T READ. Of them that's THE most noteworthy is the artwork of a comic series called "Djinn". I'd actually downloaded a few issues of, because I was considering purchasing the books, but they were virtually ALL in FRENCH, and the cost of importing the books was just SO high that I didn't decided not to buy them. If they were at least in German, or maybe even in Dutch I could maybe try figure out what it was about. I've been told that sometimes it's available in English, but I found it very difficult to find. (Anyways, now, I'm broke & unemployed, so it doesn't matter.)
But, the artwork is lovely. According to Wikipedia & other sources, the artists of this comic are also females.
A noticeable difference from American Comics is that there isn't always quite as much violence in their content. Instead, they focus very much or emotions between people, usually romance, but also sex, which can often be very explicit, yet very tasteful, and beautiful, unlike some of the more disgusting styles done in the USA, or Japan.
Many people whom I've known over the years often comment about this. They will wonder why American media is SO afraid of sexual content, which isn't taboo in Europe, but have such a stint on exaggerated violence, and even how it's become even MORE prevalent in this Century. I DO think it's a good point, because even TEEN magazines in Germany, or even Mexico not only openly discuss sexual topics for the teens, but even show nudity, which isn't considered taboo at all. I STILL have an old 1997 issue of BRAVO Magazine somewhere depicting this.
The case could be said that our past government administration have something to do with this, including the George W. Bush Era, but also being continued even further, and in MANY cases even WORSE under Obama's administration even tho' he was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize.
I'm SO glad that these women artists made the move to publish & share their artwork online, because even tho' I do LOVE Furries, at the time, I just was so unhappy to do Furry ONLY artwork. It's NO SECRET that I like to draw beasts & Monsters, and back the Anthro/Furries was something that SOLD. But, if you are ONLY (or mostly) doing something some art for money and NOT because you loive it, something hurts you inside as an artist, because an artist ALWAYS needs to grow, or to go back to do other things they like. After a while I just couldn't take it anymore, and I HAD to start doing human figures again, like Lively. But, my audience, which had grown very quickly, and VERY big, was SO irate with me for doing so. I'd ALSO wanted to experiment & explore the possibilities of Anime influences, because there was a big trend heading that way back then, and I'd ALSO made a 360 on my views of Japanese & Asian arts...
Sadly, I lost MOST of my audience.
I would like to discuss more on Anime, sexuality, and also Furries.
Now, WHY Furries???
Well, I'd actually had an Anthro version of Lively back then. I JUST could part with her. The entire time I was doing Furries, I guess I unconsciously, or subconsciously NEEDED her to go through it with me.
But, those are topics for yet more blog posts......
Here are some of my earlier concept sketches, and experiential sketches I did with "Lively".
Lively pretty much, pretty often, went through most of whatever I did, however, I don't like to make her go through very bad things. I believe she deserves much better than that...
I was very inspired by this very fantasy proto steam-punk theme, like I'd said in my previous post, from the rave culture of Eurodance, and Happy Hardcore, and other techno bands in Europe... So, I had all these feelings, concepts and ideas inspired from all kinds of these musics, and esthetics, and all of that whirling around in my mind and my day dreams... I'd already been dreaming up my project "Eyewitness" (which I will blog about in another blog) since I was also a teen.
But, for my Dragon Project (which I'd originally named "Guardian" but I have since then scrapped the name) as I have said, it started out that a number of the scenes were of Lively.
Here are 2 of my original concepts, and I DO have some story boarded.
Eventually, I had to change up the story, because I KNEW the story had dragons, and especially 1 dragon, but, I didn't know how to make her yet... Then, during my 1st & 2nd quarters at AIPH I began developing my dragon character, Djehkäujaa. She would have a number of quirks, idiosyncrasies, and be the type of personality that needs to learn EVERYTHING the hard way, by being foolish, and making SUCH big mistakes that she MUST learn VERY hard lessons. Unlike Lively whom is very carefree & bohemian yet VERY thoughtful & wise, Djehkäujaa starts out as being CARELESS, selfish, and completely oblivious to consequences of her actions & causality. So, when she has to pay the price for what she does/did, she not only is STUCK with her punishment, she's also banished. She never appreciated who & what she was, and what she had until she screwed it all up... So, as she's in a humanoid form, she's very sulky, solemn, and depressed. VERY bitter too. She did it to herself, and has ONLY herself to blame. And, she feels utterly guilty & self loathing about it.
That's where Lively comes in... and, they both have to deal with each other...
But, anyways, the story worked! The ironic thing is, my villain character, at the time, I'd thought might've been TOO over-the-top. I was afraid audiences would reject the story for having SUCH a horrible villain. But, after having lived through the Bush & Obama eras of extreme wealth, greed, and corruption he seems MUCH tamer than real life, now.
For me, I learned some lessons myself, but they're not as bad as all that.
Life Lessons: Standing Up To Abusive Authority Despite Religious Ideology
I'd had a misogynistic art teacher that utterly abused me. He didn't think he was wrong either. It seems like they never do...
Ironically, his original teaching methods were very good in my 1st year. I learned VERY much from him, and my skills & talents took off after his simple basic instructions for the fundamentals of pencil sketching, blending, and painting, as well as old school graphic art.
I was told, and everyone was told, that we could learn & study animation starting in our Junior year.
I'd won so many awards, scholarships, etc. all the time, but this teacher was so smug and full of himself, that he couldn't acknowledge me, his student.
His own work, beyond the basics was just so-so. And, he would ONLY praise his past students if they were male.
So, when it came time to study the animation, he kept lying, and putting it off, or changing the subject. I kept experimenting with a Painter program (animation) on the computers, because he wouldn't teach us, and, he let everyone else run wild (which is an understatement IF YOU ONLY KNEW).
Finally, even tho' I had already been going to classes at the U-ARTS in Philadelphia on partial scholarships, I confronted him about the animation. When were we gonna do it? Then, he lied and said that Iwas crazy, that he'd said no such thing, and that was the end of it... (So Ha-ha! Did that actually matter to you? Oh well, deliberate SAD DAY FOR YOU!)
But, that wasn't the end of that, he'd goaded the upperclassmen to berate me, rob & destroy my things, and viciously harass me, in waves, and for entertainment!
This was a homework assignment. We had to draw faces/portraits of people from magazines, like celebrities, or public figures, in graphite pencils.
I got an A+ on this. There was NO ONE in the class whom could draw ANYTHING like this. NOT EVER during the entire time I went to the class/shop...
But, after a while, he started to give me bad grades, bad marks, and WANTED ME TO DO THE WORK FOR OTHERS! After the 2nd or 3rd time doing this, I began getting REALLY angry...
Now, mind you, I was supposed to be a Protestant Christian. You are NOT supposed to fight back, you are NOT supposed to have bad or angry thoughts, you are NOT supposed to judge people (Forgive them for they know not what they do), you are JUST supposed to FORGIVE people, and PRAY for them, and LOVE them altruistically... ALL the more reason as to WHY they were SOOOO vicious to me, AND the teacher ABUSED his power by GOADING the class AGAINST ME! (Power dynamics)
He barely lifted a FINGER to help me, EVER! AND, whenever he did, he'd abrasively scrape & rub it in my face, and threw salt in it!
When I won awards, he would parade around to other teachers with MY paintings & artwork showing off HIS STUDENT!
Look at what a GREAT teacher I am!
Smiling, and getting attention from all the other teachers.
Then, when he'd come BACK into the classroom, his face would change, and his gaze was ever hateful & spiteful to me! Just because he didn't use inappropriate words, didn't mean what he said, or his tone, nor the way he treated & abused me, made it correct or appropriate at all...
Not a SINGLE fellow student would stand up for me, and yet they also would agree that he singled me out to pick on me specifically.
After he'd screwed me over for another chance to have my artwork hung in Congress (because I'd had my work exhibited the previous year), promised to matt my illustration, and didn't, then it was too late, he turned on me. He started yelling at me saying he NEVER promised that, and that I'd NEVER even asked him, when I'd asked him, all day, every day, for 2 months! Then, he got the other students to gang up on me. So, Ha-ha!
I couldn't believe this was really happening! AND, it was getting worse!
A BIG student art festival was coming up, and we ALL had to get our art ready for "The Teen Arts Festival" and some others. So, of COURSE, NOW he wanted to matt my illustration. But, the problem was this guy in the class. A senior... I think his name was Brian, maybe... This guy NEVER did his work, didn't do ANYTHING, yet his grades were good, and mine now weren't so good...
The teacher wanted ME to do this jerks work! I REFUSED!
Then, he pestered me! I still said: NO!
So, he went on and on about how my grades were slipping, and how I could do so much better... WHAT THE HELL??? You want ME to do the artwork OF THE BOYS???? But, I AM SLIPPING??? I COULD DO BETTER??? MAKE THEM DO THEIR OWN WORK! AND DON;t GIVE THEM a GRADE for WHAT I DID!
The majority of the students in the shop were FEMALE (more than 1/2 of whom were drug addict bimbos whom turned tricks, or boasted about their slutty sex lives. But if I wore anything slightly sexy, oh no, I'm a bad person!), many of the guys dropped out!
There was even a boy, whom COULD actually draw, passed all the tests, but the teacher wouldn't let him into the class because he thought he was ugly!
Meanwhile he let some Satanist randomly come into the class with us, and draw hideous things EVERYWHERE against his OWN RULES!
Some of the idiot girls even drew PENISES EVERYWHERE! On the chalk boards!
But, he would manage to get the TV signed-in for our class-room EVERY DAY so these morons could watch "The Faces Of Death" which got more & more morbid as the videos progressed, and eventually with this horribly noisy audio punker music which gave me a migraine and I couldn't do my work!
ALL kinds of ILLEGAL SEXUAL HARASSMENT going on!
(I used to give lectures an talks in my senior year about this sort of thing! And, here, I was the victim of it!) The Satanist used to tell me "You have nice lips" and that they would look pretty around his cock. The teacher thought this was amusing.
So, then this guy (not the Satanist), let's call him Brian, gets SO heavily into drugs that he starts to bring HARD DRUGS to the school! And, of course, because he's a fool, he gets CAUGHT!
He had a physical fight, and yelling match, with the art teacher, and then began making massive trouble with the school principals. He was so wacked out on drugs, that he was acting out, and going literally insane! So, teams of cops came into the building, and they had him in CHAINS, and dragged him away. (I remember watching him get hauled out of the building from out the window of our shop on the 2nd floor, in chains, kicking and screaming.)
He got expelled, and no one ever saw, nor heard, from him again. Good riddance!
-BUT... the insanity didn't stop there!
OH NO!
This asshole left some of his unfinished artwork in the classroom. Several things, because he NEVER finished ANYTHING!
So, the teacher grabs them and 1st tries to get ME to finish them.
To me, as an artist that is like the ULTIMATE FAUX PAS! You NEVER work on someone else's work, unless you've MUTUALLY both agreed it was OK, and consented to it. There were about 3 that he'd picked... 1 of which I recall was one black illustration board with a trombone that had been TRACED ON. Not authentically drawn... NO! TRACED! 'Cause Brian was a HACK! In fact, the majority, if not ALL, of the students WERE ALSO HACKS! They even used techniques with the Xerox machine...
So, this piece of CRAP illustration of the trombone, had used colored pencils & maybe some paints in funky colors on it, where some of the reflective areas were...
Having refused to work on it, he forced 2 of the older girls to finish it, especially the ethnic girl, whom was probably THE ONLY girl who wasn't insane, and could at times ACTUALLY be genuinely NICE including TO ME. And, she did the majority of the work, because the white girl also refused to do it after a while...
He (the teacher) kept nagging until that was done too!
Finally, the artwork gets finished and she'd redone the whole thing, and made it more HER. But, then, EVEN the TEACHER worked on it! So then, this teacher turns around and submits this crap UNDER BRIAN'S NAME to the Art Festival, and this HACK'S CRAP actually WON!
Da Faahk???
This jerk DID NOT EVEN GO TO OUR SCHOOL ANYMORE! AND, he DIDN'T EVEN do the whole thing! The other students did, and EVEN the TEACHER!!!! Life Lesson: This is the kind of bullshit that goes on "in the art world".
But, my piece was probably the ONLY real, authentic, actually ORIGINAL, detailed, time consumed piece, AND FREEHAND!
So, not only was this about the time when I was FED UP! I was like a pressure cooker, or a bottle of champagne that had been shook up WAY to much, IN THE HEAT! I'm about to bust open, explode everywhere! I was festering, and I was SO angry with this teacher! I began obsessing about how evil he was, and began to consider leaving.
1 thought led to another thought, and it began making sense... So, I'd asked the people in Environmental if they might ever want me to come back... they seemed VERY happy with the idea that I WOULD come back! I used to hang out with them all in their shop anyway on my lunches! And, still worked on projects with them! Then, I asked Mr. Moore, and he seemed to JUMP for JOY with the idea that I might come back, cause he had a MILLION uses for me, and he was in charge of Vo-TAG (Vocationally Talented And Gifted) which I was also in.
I'd pretty much HAD it with this art teacher! I already HAD enough reasons to leave the shop. But, being a Christian, it seemed odd to do... you're just supposed to STICK WITH WHAT YOU STARTED & FINISH IT (as the Protestants would preach). Don't be a quitter! For shame! You should TRY to work things out. You should forgive.
So, I tried that... I tried to talk to him. I even asked him: Why do you treat me this way? WHY are you doing this? This made him laugh and goad the other kids after me, and mocked me further.
Even tho' the other kids would laugh along with him, they would even also ask him: Yeah, why do you treat her like that? What did she ever do to you?
Then, he would laugh and say stuff like: She was born! (meaning I was a freak or a mutant, another thing he'd mock at me about... perhaps because I used to read X-MEN as a Freshman, or watched Star Trek)
Oh... hilarious...
But, THAT WAS IT!
I'd had it! I even hollered at him.
Yeah, you know that whole thing that Jesus said about "turn the other cheek"? Turns out that SAME guy protested and went after the money changers, and physically turned over their tables and threw them.... (ironic, because my way of dealing with bullies in the 7th grade was flipping over the desks and throwing them because the MALE teacher would do NOTHING to save me, nor help me, and ALLOWED boys to assault & batter me, EVERYDAY!) Usually, for me growing up as a Christian it was taught to me that I wasn't allowed to fight back, but you COULD stand up for those less fortunate than yourselves and be THEIR hero... yet, pretty much NO ONE wanted to be MY hero... including people whom professed to be Christians...
So, at lunch, I went to the office of the female principal, and I talked to her. I told her I had something very upsetting to tell her, and that I was being abused for the past several years, and I just wanted to leave that shop and go into Environmental, and that Mr. Moore had told me he was already OK with it.
Next thing I knew all the teachers were upset! They didn't want me to leave that teacher's class/shop. Many teachers wanted to talk to me, and dissuade me from leaving, and even that principal tried to dissuade me from switching.
I was SO fed, up, that I started screaming, and crying, and freaking out! I told the principal that he was a horrible man, and I couldn't take ANOTHER moment with him after everything he did to me! He not only allowed the other students to ROB me, he encouraged it!Bullying, sexual harassment, favoritism, etc.!
Then, my mother was called to the school.... and I was so upset... but, even my mother wanted to know more... she seemed to think that I needed to handle the situation gracefully, and believe me I was holding myself together just fine unless I was being back into a corner & berated... she told me "not to burn my bridges" and to shake his hand, etc... I told her I didn't even want to look at his face EVER again! He was a bad person. I gave him the chance to fess-up, or do right by me, but he didn't...
Can you believe that so many of those teachers tried to push me to stay and told me it was "to help me follow my dream"? No. My dream was NEVER to be abused. All the things that went on were outright crimes in the simplest, and even complex forms!
And so, I left...
So, THE most talented artist, not only in "Advertizing, Art & Design" BUT also the ENTIRE school, (possibly in the top of entire State of New Jersey) left and went back to Environmental! :D I wasn't worried at all. I still went to the U-ARTS Philly on the weekend, and I was confident that I could get accepted to AIPH. Plus, my art NEVER stopped!
After all, remember?: Child prodigy. *points to self*
Being in Environmental gave me MORE opportunities to do MUCH more with WHO I was, and what I did than that "Advertizing, Art & Design" ever could. I had so much privilege, and I could walk the halls without a pass, and never get in trouble, because I was so highly regarded, if I wanted.
I painted a HUGE Mural my senior year as well, AND I made MY OWN projects, CONSTANTLY, and DID THEM! I was self motivated, responsible, capable, and helpful.
All the younger students looked up to me... which of course caused me to become HATED among my peers in my own class (the class of 1998, whom wanted to bully them for entertainment). Plus, since I was so well regarded among the teaching faculty, and the administrators, and had high grades, they (my fellow peers in my grade) all began to resent me... They didn't think I even knew the scientific materials... but I DID! I'm a geek, so not only did I know the materials, I remembered more of it than they did... Thus, more hatred & resentment... They didn't see me as an asset, they saw me as competition, but I wasn't completely with them. I had my self to compete with, to challenge myself to become more than whom and what I was. I wasn't putting anyone down. I would help to build people up. I was altruistic.
As it turns out, tho', that art teacher, after I left according to the other students whom told me that he's calmed down entirely, he didn't mock or razz students anymore, and he'd seemed to have regretted how he'd behaved, and maybe have mentioned something along those lines slightly... they even said he'd totally changed after I'd left, and was quiet, and mopey...
Turns out, when u abuse people you're supposed to be in charge of, they don't respect you... and you get in trouble... It wasn't as tho' this man didn't know any better, because at times he would preach about how some people should be this way or that way... and even quoted some philosophy... except, ya broke your own principles, dude...
Even tho' I was respectful to him (because if you're a Christian, you MUST respect authority, and ALWAYS be respectful and kind to others) he actually didn't deserve any respect at all. True respect is earned. I respected him for what he'd taught me in the 1st year, but after that, there was NOTHING he could really teach me, and when I needed his help or assistance he turned on me... A true master teacher is ALWAYS respectful to their students, but he was not....
And, so... What's the moral of the story? * DON'T let people push you around. Stand up for your dignity. Because if you let them it's like saying you deserve it. And you DON'T DESERVE IT! * Sometimes, when you are a true genuine person, people that are either just normal, or fake, resent you... because it shows them what they are not.... actually, they AREN'T actually resenting YOU, but THEMSELVES and taking it out on you, because they don;t try to be real, genuine, or good. * People fear what the DO NOT UNDERSTAND. * If you truly have self respect, you will treat other with respect & dignity, even if they don't always deserve it, because it reflects better of yourself. * All form of attack is a psychological cry for help by way of attention.
Anime:
As for the last year (Senior Year) of high school, well... it came with MANY challenging things... some not so good, like being robbed, being beaten up twice, death threats, moving, a trip to Germany, summer collage & big scholarships, insane work and insane working hours, exhaustion, and more...
But, there were some GOOD lessons, which were NOT painful AT ALL!
Some art related ones...
Where to even start???
Having attended animation classes on scholarship, on the weekend, at The Philadelphia University of the Arts (U-ARTS) taught by Lowl Boston, it was normal for his adult full-time students to come in and sometimes help out with the classes, or even work on their work with us...
For whatever reason, many animation students would just drop out after having paid so much money for the classes... I NEVER understood this!
Do, animation was 1 of the BEST emotional feelings one could have when your art played back in motion on a pencil test machine! My MOST cherished memories of my ENTIRE LIFE!
But, anyways...
MOST, if not ALL, art schools HATED Japanese looking cartoons, or anime... the reasons why are SO obvious. They are often times CRAP, based on simple technique, not real artistic techniques, but cheating, are often bad stories, bad quality, the "animations" are often shot on 5s (yes that's animation geek talk for frame rate) and they're NOTHING but a "mange that slightly moves set to audio". Having seen anime from the 80s & 90s, the majority was just turds in a toilet because they were SO BAD! Mass produced junk... you know quantity VS. quality... well, I LOVED Disney, which was QUALITY, and I loathed anime which was junk! Much of it often still is...
However... since I'd already made up my own mind, having seen SO much junk anime, I'd judged & deemed it to be beneath me and NOT worth my time... yes, very snobbish, don't you think? (I mean. COME-ON! Have you EVER watched Sailor Moon? Good grief, it's SO BAD! Worst animation ever! The only thing it has going for it is the visual designs!)
But, this guy/student whom was about to graduate within a year at the University and was buddy buddy with Lowl (the animation teacher) liked anime. I remember discussing it with both of them, and we were all laughing about how bad anime was, but they still watched some.
Well, 1 day, Lowl decided that guy should show "Macross Plus" and they BOTH said I'd like it... but, whatever... I wasn't interested...
But, since it was on... I had to sit their and listen to it as I sat at my animation disk, doing my traditional pencil animations...
That guy said there were different versions of it. There was a movie version, and then there was a mini series version which was better... so, he had the episodes play 1 after the other...
As the 1st episode began, I was ALREADY starting to HATE it... but, it was an innovative animation piece that integrated computer & traditional animation to do things that NO OTHER animated film or series had EVER DONE.
But... again, just like several anime films, 1 of the main characters is an arrogant jerk... (Isamu)
By the time we got to the 2nd episode I was about to EAT MY WORDS! There was a musical concert scene of Sharon Apple that was SO eye-catching & lovely, and the artwork didn't look Japanese! It looked European! The music was SOOOOO good! It wasn't that annoying cutesy Japanese rock/pop music! It was all totally unique!
Not only that, but before I knew it I was getting into the story, even tho' I was in denile about it!
What REALLY got me was that the END has a melodramatic twist in it! A psychological twist! The person we'd all pegged to be an arrogant jerk, and thought was more of a bad guy, turned out wasn't all that bad... and the guy we'd thought was THE good guy actually was the one who did something bad to the girl, but because of his genetics, he'd blocked out the memories. So, he was blaming that guy, and trying to duke it out and kill him, he suddenly had a flask-back total recall, and realized HE was the villain! And, he thought he'd killed the guy! he felt totally wrong having dishonored himself, and realized that the guy didn't get blown up but turned off his engines and road the updraft. So, he fessed-up and they both realized that deep down inside, despite all the hate, that guy was actually protecting his feelings and took the blame for him, so when the ghost plane was hacked by the evil AI program, he sacrificed himself for his friend to redeem himself.
When I saw this film, I was SO moved. And, I'd learned a lesson too. Sometimes, some Japanese anime films might actually be good...Sometimes, it's possible to misjudge someone or something...but, you should fess-up to it, address it, make amends and move FORWARD.
By the time I'd gone to AIPH the way that all the other artists would bond with each other was by watching movies... usually it was anime...
I learned WHY Japanese animated products were so popular. It wasn't because of their artwork... no, because much of it stinks... It was ALL ABOUT THE STORIES!
Even if your art is ugly, but your story was GREAT, that often times mattered more than an expensive yet pretty video. Good stories MAKE YOU FEEL.
So, when I think of many of my concept for Lively, there's much inspiration from parts of Marcoss Plus, which I've watched OVER & OVER in several different versions, and have multiple soundtracks of! Turns out, there is TECHNO in the film!
The Jungle Book (Jason Scott Lee version)
She said that when she was little she loved music by a Swedish rock band Roxette (Joyride, Listen To Your Heart, It Must've Been Love) and learned all the words to the songs because she just loved the music, even tho' she couldn't understand what they were singing about. Then, because of music, she learned to speak English. 
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