Our Raggedy Showgirl
Btw, commissions are open :3
This will be both an art yapping and a TADC yapping (ft. Ragatha headcanon) so buckle up:
When I saw the penultimate episode of the series—as in that scene where Caine is channeling his theater kid and the cast were dancing in golden showgirl outfits—I wanted to draw Ragatha wearing the showgirl outfit cuz she's my favorite character in TADC... and I do like drawing corsets and thiccums. I did draw Kinger first but that because I wanted to try out a new sketchbook and because I wanted to warmup using watercolors again (also cuz he looked goofy as hell dancing when he's all chess piece).
I planned to draw this one before the finale and before seeing their actual human designs but stuff happened so I only started to do the sketch after the premiere in theaters. I didn't know whether to draw her actual digital form or what I imagine her human for to be, so I did both in a way. I just humanized her design and combined that with what I thought what would have been her human design would be at the time.
Now onto, TADC Ragatha Headcanon first:
My headcanon is that—along with other things—Ragatha was severely criticized by her mother for her weight and body. Haven't thought that far into whether or not she also had an eating disorder but she has no issues with eating as far as we see so I'm not gonna say that. Gooseworx has said that her age is 30. I'm not sure if she was 30 when she went to the circus or if she's 30 by the time the show took place.
I'm also not sure if 2017 is the year TADC took place in but if it did, that would mean that Ragatha would have been born around 1987 (if she is 30 at the time of the show). If Ragatha is 30 at the time of her being trapped, that would mean she was born around 1978. This means that she spent her formative—including teens—years in either the 80s or 90s.
Both of these eras—as well as the 2000s—had skinny as the ideal body standard. Sure there are variations, such as the 80s leaning more into toned but still lean towards less bulk and more toning and leanness, and the 90s and the Y2K leaning into extremely thin bodies, this is also the era that is most associated with body dysmorphia, anorexia, and eating disorders in general. For reasons I will elaborate later, the 70s also leaned into skinnier bodies albeit more androgynous.
I imagine that one of the things Ragatha's mother criticized her for would be her body, regardless of her weight. She would never be skinny enough for her. She'd never have the body "feminine" enough for her. She'd never be good enough for her. She's also probably exposed to various media that touted skinny as the default and premium—especially in the 90s and 00s. Either she developed an eating disorder or that she's just insecure of her body. I'm less on the [she developed an eating disorder] more on [years of being inundated with the idea of skinny being the beautiful and anything fat/plump and curvy is ugly made her incredibly insecure of her body] but they're not mutually exclusive.
While her mother grew up with different body ideals due to generational differences, she'd still see skinny as the "best" body and anything deviating from that is lesser and uglier. I think she's born around the 50s which leaned more towards curvy "feminine" bodies but still veer into skinnier bodies but she still grew up in the 1960s and 70s which is the opposite of the bombshell 1950's curvy body ideal; the 60s and 70s leaned into more a sharper, boyish, androgynous look. While she could be born in the 1940s and thus, grow up with 1950s body ideals—I do think she would have been a mother around her early/mid 20s and that's if Ragatha is born in 1978. If Raggy is born in 1987, RagMother would be born in the 60s.
Either way, she would see skinny as the default and the premium. Deviating from that would make you lesser, less beautiful, unhealthy, uglier, and unfeminine.
She would always chase this ideal—and in turn—would push these standards towards her own children, especially Ragatha. You know. Like how older female (but also male) relatives point out how you—younger (usually) female relative—got fat.
Because that's the thing with body standards.
She'd never be skinny enough for her.
Never curvy enough for her.
Never thin enough for her.
Never athletic enough for her.
Never feminine enough for her.
Never beautiful enough for her.
Never enough for her.
I was worried that my piece would come off as gooner art. While I see nothing wrong with that, I do want to at least do it with purpose (and have the audience seen it as done with purpose) aside from goonery.
While doing the piece in the family dining room (it's the only table big enough for both my laptop and my watercolor materials), my family can see my piece as I work on it. They did not comment on how sexy or sexual it its but rather how—in their eyes—Ragatha is fat. Mataba daw. I do see that—because I made it that way. I imagined her being fat (neutral) and curvier in real life this headcanon was made before the finale premieres and I ignore the canon human forms in favor of my headcanons.
It's not that I didn't expect some people would find me making Ragatha curvier or plumper or fat more weird or gross than just objectifying or sexualizing (cuz again beauty standards), it's just that I was more expecting that people would think I'm drawing gooner or fetish art with her posing, her thighs, her outfit, her expression, how her thighs and boobs are big but her waist is a bit smaller (due to her corset), and the focus and composition in general. I don't really care whatever people think in the end because you can't please everyone and different folks different strokes. I care about pleasing myelf by drawing what I want the way I want, with the intent that I had (regardless of execution due to skill).
It's just a funny difference in perspective between different context and settings. My art would probably be more seen as gooner art in the internet but in real life, by people not as chronically online and not in fandom spaces in general, Ragatha being illustrated as plumper and curvier (especially pin-up style) was seen as subversive or grotesque by the "normal" people around you. Not to mention the age/generational differences in perspective, biases, standards, and tastes. It was what inspired me to write and post this long ass headcanon piece in the first place.
I want to draw more variety in body types since most art of pretty people (especially in anime style) veer more into skinnier bodies more aligned with conventional beauty. Yes, it would cater into my personal tastes and biases (and I could be better skill-wise) but I do want to explore more variety compared to the mainstream and conventional ideals and defaults. I don't want to merely draw this variety but also in the same way the "default" body has been portrayed as. As something not ugly. Normal. As something sexy. Luxurious. Desirable.
As Something Beautiful.
Now time for art yapping for diary purposes:
I first did the first version on my A5 sketchbook while looking at my reference which is a pin-up photo (is that what you call it?) as a sort of pactice. Once I was happy with it, I redid the piece in a much better way on my A4 sized sketchbook. I found it more difficult. Trying to fit both her hair and her whole body in the paper. It was also hard doing the hip and pelvis part due to how it is rotated. The hand is...hopeless something that will come to me after many practice.
Doing the hair is definitely the most laborious part of the piece. At first, her hair was just normal 3c hair in big clumps but as I'm doing it, I decided to make it match her yarn hair more closely. Basically consistent ringlets more aligned to her 3D model. Doing this piece made me better at drawing this kind of hair so that was nice. I stand by what I said about curly hair being more fun and preferable than straight hair but ouuughghhhhh it's so laborious.
After 2 fails, I managed to get the skin and hair just right. I was aiming to convey the soft feeling of smooth skin in pinup art as well as the plushness and dips of a fatter body and I liked how the thigh part ended up. I used various references of plus size women in corset body suits and Playboy bunny suits to see how a fat body looks while wearing it but I couldn't find something that has the model in a similar pose as the art so I had to get even more creative. I also studied how the breasts are lifted by actual overbust corsets and how it can be lifted up. I do think it could have been less rigid bowling ball-like in shape and more like squished water balloons but I do imagine the showgirl corset being tight in general (but still flexible).
The skin was the easiest part of the watercolor process (partly because I kept redoing it so I had practice). The hair... is fun.
Drawing curly hair is fun until you have to render it.
Ouuuuuugggghhhhh
It was so laborious, it took me 3-4 days. Not to mention every time I restart the piece, I have to retrace it using my tracing paper. I had to draw the whole piece ~5 times because I kept having to redo it. First it was the lineart, then I traced it in the tracing paper, then I had to transfer it to the watercolor paper using carbon paper (no I can't do the whole piece there at the jump, the eraser will hurt the paper and I can't buy a good lightbox yet), then I had to restart because I didn't like how the skin turned out, and redid it again cuz of the hair T.T My hand hurt after all that.
I manage to achieve what I wanted in the end. I could with shading but I was satisfied. It's the first time I managed to render it the same way I render straight hair (like in my Civilight Eterna art).
This is where I feel like it all went downhill quality-wise.
I was gonna give the corset body suit more texture and boning like in overbust corsets but I decided to just make it similar to the outfit in the show. Sparkly and shine. I managed to muster up the energy and... sanity(?) to properly make the shoes shiny like solid gold but I wasn't able to give the corset its well-deserved sparkle glitter effect. I wanted to give it a sequined look or at least, a look that is similar to glitter paper. In the end, I couldn't do it (´。＿。｀). I think the hair drained me. I don't regret the way I did the hair but if I were to redo this piece (I'm not), I would maybe play Deltarune or take a break after doing the hair. I tried using a white gel pen to give the impression of it glittering but I think I did it badly and I had to fix it post-production. Yes, I used the sparkly metallic watercolors. No, I haven't learned my lesson that it won't magically made the piece glitter sparkly.
If there's a worst part of the piece (aside from the hands), it would be the background. I didn't actually plan the background when doing the sketch. I was more focused on Ragatha herself. I wanted the curtains to be golden but still have the lighting make it appear more red to make Raggy pop more. I shouldn't have used my water-based markers since it was drying out and it just made my piece worse background-wise. Textured but worse. It literally was just a solid yellow all throughout the curtains with a bit of red and brown.
Overall, it was nice and I was satisfied with it. The skin is vibrant but still conveys that plumpness and softness. The hair is gorgeous. The feathers—while mismatched—still looks good. Face is good. I love doing it and I love the result.
Alt. more true to life ver. :
Reference used:
