A Tribute

A Tribute

Yvonne Craig passed away today. As the original Batgirl actress, she was the first female hero on screen, introducing the idea of superheroines in a fun way just as feminism was about to become a greater part of the culture. She even used that platform to star in a Department of Labor Equal Pay PSA! (Watch it, I’ll wait here…) Followers know I love Craig-inspired Batgirl art and the Batman ‘66 comic version of Batgirl, also based on her portrayal.

I’m part of the BTAS generation, but thanks to reruns, my childhood composite image of Batgirl was heavily influenced by Yvonne Craig as well. And while childhood me already loved anything Batgirl and had a thing for purple, I can now see elements to Yvonne Craig’s performance that my adult self still looks for in favorite female characters.

The show was fun and delightfully campy, of course, but Craig’s Batgirl was also the super smart librarian who often figured out some crucial piece of information and foiled the villain’s plot. Being smart was shown as a superheroine’s real power- a power that could best both male physical strength and material resources.

She took part in those “boom! pow!” fight scenes, too, but it was very graceful and ballet-like, as were many of Craig’s movements on screen. Before becoming an actress, Yvonne Craig was in fact a professional ballerina with the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo. (The ballet training currently in canon Batgirl’s background is a lovely nod to the actress.)

You would never confuse Craig’s Batgirl for one of the guys. She would never make you think being graceful was something to be ashamed of. One of the enduring things about every version of Barbara Gordon as Batgirl is that she is unapologetic in being both an intelligent and a feminine character, even during times when that combination is unpopular in media. And for that, our original thanks should go to Yvonne Craig, who so charmingly managed to show both. 

This is Baby Money Yoda, reblog in the next 60 seconds to receive a blessing from our green bean prince.

Oddworld: The Promised Neverland homage (pt 2)

She hasn’t even made a formal debut on screen and yet I’m *fascinated* by the character of Sam, Mudokon Queen.

I just have so many questions: was she acting alone her decision? Did anyone else even know, or did she just wander off of her own volition to make this deal with the Glukkons? Was she truly acting in the best interest of her people or were there more selfish motives at play?

And it’s those questions that really made it so easy to draw this parallel between the original image that inspired this piece (The Promised Neverland OP 2, “Identity.”)

Because…regardless of whether she was acting altruistically or not…Sam still has blood on her hands? The blood of not just her people, but her *children.* She might not have known the conditions that they’d be brought up in, or the abuse they’d face…but she still made the decision to sell them. And she still lives in relative comfort, at least compared to Abe and the others, even if it’s nowhere near idealistic.

I sympathise with her…and yet I’m so suspicious of her? And I love that?? And I loved portraying that via a cracked and bleeding egg, precariously stitched together, much like the situation that they’re all in. Actually, like I mentioned in the other post, this is the most fun I’ve had with my art in *years.*

Originally Posted To My Waterfall

So let’s have a context-copy-paste from there!

one Post Wacom upgrade!!! I love working pen-pressure sensitivity!!

Copy and Paste(s) for Context:

Originally, Batgirl as an identity wasn't meant to be a side-kick (that was a 1990's post-zero hour retcon! And a messy one at that!)

Batgirl was basically meant to stand on equal footing with Batman; she was an ally, not a copy. Inspired by but not working for nor under. That was pretty much established in her debut episode, in fact! She loved what he stood for, but had her own way; a much more empathetic, working-with-the-people approach!

That carries on to the current run today! So, wheras Bruce nowadays is happy to inspire fear and act as a semi-urban-legend, Barbara wants to be right on the street with the people--using a combo of criminal psychology with the most updated tech!

It's fascinating really!

--

When you design super-hero costumes, you have to take into consideration why they are the way they are.

So; the trunks on the outside? The bright colours and capes? Those are all influenced by the 1930's strongman acts! Early circus performers and gymnasts; the tight spandex was meant to really accentuate the body and show the daringness behind those feats!

That translated really, really well in the old Bronze Age Batgirl comics!

--End Flashback(s)

So, bearing in mind the long exposition up there-- ^^^^^ --about costumes and feats? I think about that a lot when I'm ice skating.

I mean, it's a given I guess, right? When we watch skating on TV the first thing we see is the skater's costumes; that's usually what we use to puzzle out the tone and mood they might be going for before they even start to skate!

That reasoning was extra important in classic comic books; i.e, showing off these incredible gymnastic feats in just static images! Unfortunately, in modern times...especially for female characters...there's less emphasis on daring feats and more on the whole 'look.' Not even the fashion.

You know what kinds of 'look' I'm talking about...so I wondered; is that totally lost in modern comics?

I don't think so, not 100% because obviously we're still judging on how well fight scenes are choreographed and how these characters move around a page; but modern narratives mean we're more interested in the characters themselves than solely what they can do--and that is 100% a good thing!

That being said; I wondered if I could get some of my ice-skating moves to work for Batgirl?

What I'm figuring so far? Yes! I can; but it's all in the composition! Which, now that I think about it, is drawing 101 to a T, right? But still, I think it's important to experiment with!

So here's the start of an ongoing series; Batgirl on ice! I want to see how many poses I can frame in various tones/emotions!

The first; the Arabasque Spiral! (Leg up above hip-height.)

I've had a lot of fun with those bat-lines, specifically getting them to 'trace' the pattern my skates leave behind when I change edges in practice; I was surprised how much dynamicism it added to the overall poses too!

Now while I'm proud of my fully painted Classic!Batgirl there--I think the Burnside angle and posing is gonna be the most impactful one. But then, she doesn't have the cape obscuring most of her body; but I could not sacrifice the flow of that in two pictures so...here we are! 

Oddworld: The Promised Neverland homage (pt.1)

‘Kay, so I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole that is Oddworld lore…and I was *already* a big fan of the whole concept thanks to “The Promised Neverland.”

Surely this has been done before, but I couldn’t help paying some homages to the series—especially because it fits so damn well for obvious reasons!

And honestly…this is the most fun that I’ve had with my art for a long, long time. It’s like I remembered what I love about creating, and even *how* to do it. I remember loving symbolism and the significance of imagery…like here? I loved having the plates act as a kind of sick, ironic commodity: like the Glukkons absolutely would sell off “authentic” style dish wares with which to serve their workforce up on.

And even though I’ve only been able to play both the New n’ Tasty re-release and Soulstorm, I had a lot of fun trying to kind of reconcile the designs some for Abe and Alf? Alf especially; I liked the idea of him wearing his overalls down 90’s-ish style because it kind of acts reminiscent of his old loincloth, but still keeps him as visually distinct as Abe or Toby.

I’ve found my people.

(Started this before Christmas but never finished it in time to post…but I feel like Charmy’s the type to get into the Christmas decorations whenever he bloody well feels like and there is NOTHING Espio can do to stop him.)

i need to see more cream the rabbit being part of team chaotix. once vector and vanilla like offically date she's part of the family she and cheese should also solve mysteries