Playing dress-up
Hey, another post! What'd I tell you - I told you that I'm awesome, that's what, and it is true.:D
I’ve been spending a lot of time creating head space for a host of characters. Some of these guys have been around for years but are only starting to make real sense to me now as I build the sort of world they live in. And today I feel like looking back over some of the cars linking up my looong train of thought. So it’s time for some character design!
The first two pieces are character studies I based off of various photos in my cherished Fruits collection of 2000-era Harajuku street photo. I've put up quicker studies from this book in the past, but this time I tried something different. I used the photos as a jumping off point for a portrait of my own original characters as a way to sort of meditate on their look. So, cheating. But fun cheating that helps me develop characters and practice my pen work.
These are actually three separate takes on the same character, Scratch. She's an "adult entertainer" - a porn star, a dancer, a female drag queen - who's involved in the city's small but promising Deep Artistic Porn scene. She may or may not actually buy into that shit, but she definitely likes dressing up. She redefines herself daily.
Even more confusingly, this is a portrait of two twins - Jessica and Starfish - who were not born from the same mother. Starfish is an exact duplicate of Jessica, memories and all. She mitosis-ed off her only a few months ago when Jessica had an allergic reaction to a medical nano-treatment. Starfish is not pleased about this any more than you are. Jessica isn't either, but at least she's the original.
These characters live in a strange city at some point in the future and are in some way related to the entertainment/artistic scene, and their clothing is a critical part of their self expression and the visual environment they live in. For me, clothing leads the way for these characters' personalities and stories and backgrounds to become real. They've hung around my head for a while, and now they're finally starting to step out a little.
Here’s a fashion sketch spasm. I’ve been playing around with character dress-up a lot lately and I really recommend it. Oh mann it’s super self-indulgent but it is so much fun! And such a good way to analyze why you are responding to a certain aspect of an outfit. Thinking about silhouettes and contrast and juxtaposition and alla that good stuff. Then I take those ideas and apply them to my characters while I am supposed to be paying attention in a meeting.
Here are outfit ideas for Scratch’s drag/burlesque performances!
The shredded costume led me to a performance series where she’s slicing her own layered bodysuits off with razor nails to reveal new colors underneath. Getting more aggressive, confrontational. Finding Scratch’s outlook on the world.
Aaannd….
Cast lineup!
Still not quite there but getting closer.
Also, I am ashamed at how blatantly my subconscious rips off the artists I admire. It's just...goddamnit. It's like the cast of Jaime's Locas had queermo babies with the cast of Spike's Templar Arizona.
...
Well, at least I steal from the good stuff?
Today’s most blatant swaggajacking sources inspiration:
RAJA! Especially this performance!
Click to viewHellen Jo!
Illustration after Murakami’s “After Dark.” Check out her website for sooo much more also including naked ladies!
And uuhhhhhh definitely Lady Gaga! Super obviously!
How do you develop your characters? Yeeeeeaaaaahh!!!!!!