Commenters have spoken, and I have listened. Behold!
Black and white only, but colour studies coming very soon.
John posted a comment about how my female characters are all very slim. It’s true, and it’s something I have been thinking about throughout this entire process, since I created the first draft of Octopussycat and Tasmanian Daredevil years ago.
Truth is, there aren’t very many female funny animal characters, and the few there are are based off popular male characters, like:
What do these characters have in common? They all look exactly like the men they’re based off except change of clothes, eyelashes, and bows in their hair. BOWS!!!
Actually there are a couple of good models for lady toons, which is partially what inspired my gals:
Both cats, as you can see. The Tom & Jerry cats are always very old school 30’s movie star type with the heavily made up eyes. Differences are smaller features on the face, with the exception of the eyes. I think the worst offense for female animal toons is to plot the ridiculous blonde wig on, like they do, usually followed by a brushing of the hands.
Anyway, where was I? Oh yea. So I’ve tried to keep my female supers distinctive from the male form, and yes that has so far meant that they have small waists and larger hips. It’s something I’m working on and conscious of but by the same token – they are superhero characters which typically demand the ‘idealized’ bodies. Emphasis on the ‘typically.’
The other staple of the female form in cartoons is this:
Which certainly has its place. But references for what I want to achieve are few and far between so I feel a little like I’m blazing my own trail (despite the fact that I’m ripping off years of established toons).
Oh, and here’s some bonus sketches of Octopussycat:
I think you raise an interesting point. I am not a comics reader so perhaps my opinion is irrelevant to this discussion, but personally I am sick to death of women – in cartoons or movies – as either being the sexy/skinny type or the fat/comical type. Either end is stereotyping and therefore depersonalizing.
If supers are supposed to be really amazing specimens, why are the females not just really buff? Buff in the way real women are – thin, but muscular, and not all about the tits and ass. So, like with a more normal looking waist, say, instead of the wasp waist. And not always looking like a sexual coquette. A character can be a female without having to look like a sex bomb, I think. It is exceedingly tedious when the main role of the female is to seduce or torment via implied sexual suggestion the men around her. Let’s see her do some cool stuff.
How did I get onto that rant! Anyway the work looks great. I look forward to seeing someone who breaks the mold – damn the man, Toren! 🙂
ps – does she squirt ink?
Metalligator could be a woman, under the armor! Cheating, I know.
Yeah! Smokin! I get that you’re going in the more-funny-than-serious direction (for funny animals) and I think you captured the right mix of that with mysterious.
About size – most animals tend to look skinny or fat, it seems. Of course Velocelot is skinny, she’s a cat and a speedster. But you got fat and skinny dudes. You need fat lady animals! And yeah, not just funny ha ha the fat hippo ladies in tutus (although it would be funny to see Hypnopotamus brow-beaten by his wife Hippolyta who then goes to ballet practice and dances gracefully), but big animals as ladies. The Elephant Ma’am. Night Mare. Consider something like Grisly Bear as a mama bear, with a pair of cubs learning the ropes. Figure out how to make her feminine, but still a big fat-assed bear, and still able to scare the pants off the other wildlife.
Of course, I still think Tasmanian Daredevil should have six boobs.
Why don’t you make Doctor Gnucleus a woman? I think it would be cool to have your brainy scientist be a woman.
And don’t give her kids. No offence John (regarding your mamma bear thoughts above), but if women aren’t portrayed as sexy, then they’re always given kids – as if they don’t have lives outside of what they can provide for men (sex or progeny).
That’s just my take on it.
There are certain cartoon animals that adapt well to the female form. Rodents and cats and birds, generally. Not so much with the wildebeest. It’s the huge snout.
That’s what I liked about making Dr. Gnucleus a woman. Well that and the body with absolutely no curves – not all woman have an hourglass shape – sometimes they’re flat chested/slim hipped too.
I know you don’t just want to slap a bow on a male character and call it a woman, but there is some credibilty in doing just that – lots of what make us see someone as ‘male’ or ‘female’ is in what they’re wearing. Looking at Dr. Gnucleus, I can totally see him as a woman if you just put him in a pair of catseye glasses. Maybe some light lipstick. And, it’s not like there was a Mr. Dr. Gnucleus that you’re slapping a bow on to give him a wife – she’d be a completely orignal character in her own right. 🙂
But really, do what you want with them, they’re your own creations after all. 🙂
I know what you’re saying. I like the horned rim glasses idea. The trouble is I don’t want people saying “is that a dude or a chick?” to me constantly. I do kind of want to make gender obvious for the time being. I already am thinking of which characters will be gay, and how that will manifest. I think Octopussycat is the front runner for lesbian – maybe she’ll have an on-again off again relationship with Velocelot, who is Go-Rilla’s arch nemesis (by right of similar powers). That’s drama! Just kickin’ ideas around in my head.
Hey, hey hey! I didn’t say don’t make her sexy…
I hear you Toren. There is the strong possiblity of gender confusion with a female Dr. Gnucleus done in any kind of realisitic (i.e. not having cartoonishly large lipsticked lips and huge eyelashes) way. Particularly since the name is gender neutral.
I respect your decision to make gender more obvious and while I might wish it was different, I totally understand. 🙂
And Octopussycat absolutely has to be a lesbian. With a name like that, how can she not be? 🙂 And the drama with Velocelot! I love it. 🙂