Art, yo.

Space Oddity

obligatory “i’m white”. obligatory “i’m not the best artist and am still always learning”. obligatory “i was a beginner too”. fact of the matter is, though, that what i brought up in that post is not endemic only to beginner artists. it’s something i see very technically skilled people doing, and it demonstrates a very fundamental flaw in the notion of “aesthetic”.

altering a character’s features as portrayed in their canon (or god forbid, an actual real actor) so their complexion is creamier, their features are narrower, and their hair is smoother is a deliberate choice. art is translating lines and shapes into something cohesive and recognizable. you choose to make those lines.

if you are using the wrong ones, you lose cohesion.  stylization does not mean recognition is lost. 

the situation described by my post can range anywhere from ignorance to the notion that the human face is not a template with interchangeable potato head parts all the way to a malicious belief that non-white features are ugly.

i’m not making accusations one way or another.

but i am saying that it’s very, very noticeable and the hurt you might feel by me calling you a fucking gremlin doesn’t really compare to people seeing themselves be erased in art. i am not engaging anybody directly over the matter because quite frankly 90% of the angst on that post is from teens. get better. use references. don’t be defensive when someone points out offensive behavior.