So on my last post, Trevor left a comment asking:
"What qualifies those girls in "Altruists" as 'super generic'?"
I planned on making a just a quick explanation as an extra on some bigger post with more drawings, but totally got caught up with the question and came up with a lot of ideas about "generic" drawings (specifically of girls). Here are the drawings he was asking about:
And here are some designs I did that I am much less embarrassed to show:
Also, I tried to explain more on my outlook of the word "generic" in some little drawings, which I'll post below (its more fun this way).
Now here is some less fun stuff...more theories on (dun dun DUNNN!!!)...
GENERIC!!!!!!!!
Disclaimer: these are rambling thoughts written quite late at night.
1. What makes a drawing "generic"? There are two different ways to look at the word generic but I'll talk about that later. When cartoonists talk about a generic girl design, I believe it usually refers to the "cute" equation. A generic girl design generally has a big cranium, large eyes, a small upturned nose, and youthful feminine lips. Her face is rounded and nothing is too prominent. Disney princesses are pretty generic (don't get mad at me yet, I am a HUGE fan of Disney movies and can watch 'Sleeping Beauty' 6 times in a row). Snow White may have short hair and a rounder face than Cinderella, but logically you must admit that they are similar, and they seem to set the standard for "cartoon girl beauty." (On another note, Japan has it's own standard for cartoon girl beauty as anyone can see)
2. Where did this come from? My impression is that there are many advantages to using a generic girl design in cartoons. First of all, girl characters are often props rather than REAL characters. Someone for the dashing hero to rescue, someone to sing some cute songs, or the lovely prize who is being fought over by suitors. I personally don't have a problem with this, although I'd like to see more of a variety of girl designs just to spice it up. And I don't mean taking the generic girl design and making her nose slightly less upturned and tiny, or making her chin slightly longer, or giving her a "weird" hairdo.
3. Another reason that generic girls are common- they are pretty and appealing, and everyone likes that. One glance at the cherubic faces of Snow White or Cinderella or Ariel and you know that they are good and sweet. You instantly root for them. Boys AND girls like pretty girls, and the generic cartoon standard is based on what most people find pretty in real life (at least thats how it seems to me). By making girl characters less generic you may risk having to work harder to make the character likable (don't get me started on the now generic "cartoon girl personalities" that can be found everywhere). ANOTHER DISCLAIMER. I know someone is gonna misread this and think that I am against "pretty" or some silly thing. I'm certainly not, I wanted to be Briar Rose as a kid and still do. But I also think there is a place in cartoons for girls who's designs are more specific, just like the real girls in our lives that we know and love.
4. Another reason that generic girl designs are common- Animating is hard. Animating girls is really hard...and trying to animate a girl with specific features must be really REALLY hard.
5. One more idea...the word "generic" can be looked at the way I've described above, but some artists can be unique and "generic" at the same time. You could argue that Kiraz, Sokol, and Frazetta all have a "generic" girl type that they draw quite often....but the drawings are only generic because the artist draws a similar design repeatedly- compare any of their girls to the generic girl I have been talking about and there is nothing boring about them. Check out their gorgeous girls (I die happily inside when I look at these):
Kiraz
Sokol
Frazetta (his paintings break my heart...but in a good way)I may sound like I have been trash talking anything generic, but in this case it's very different. Frazetta, Kiraz, and Sokol may have a preference for how they draw their girls, but they are each so monumentally amazing at drawing that it doesn't matter. The drawings are beautiful in so many ways that the design of the girl is practically inconsequential. It's drawings like these that make me realize that I DEPEND on trying to draw different kind of faces and bodies all the time...It's almost as though I haven't earned the right to even consider settling and having a basic girl design that I can fall back on. I hope someday I can have an ounce of the uniqueness and skill these artists have. Does any of this make sense??
Wow, if you got through all that, then you must be a true pal 'o mine. Thanks for sitting through "Uncle Katie's Theory Corner." I hope lots of people have their own ideas, and that no one thinks I'm being insulting or presumptuous.
AND DON'T FORGET!!!!
Find out what happens to Skadi and the hapless maiden on Dumm Comics!
Goodnight!
