How do you do stylized POC without it looking borderline racist tidjjckff help pls
Often times artists may be criticized for white washing POC. On the other swing of the pendulum, we also must be mindful of avoiding racial caricature when drawing people.Â
What is Racial Caricature?
Racial caricature is the exaggeration of certain features (small eyes for east Asians, big lips for Africans, and unnatural skin tones among others) for the purpose of dehumanizing a race by reducing them to a stereotype.Â
Thereâs actually been an instance where a Japanese airline commercial was criticized for what was perceived to be a racial caricature of Caucasians!Â
So, to avoid racial caricature, we should search up what is considered racist to stylize for a particular race before drawing, so we know what to avoid in our art.Â
When stylizing a character, I would also add other aspects that arenât inherently racial to the character, to avoid making them seem like a homogenized or exaggerated character whose only defining feature is race.Â
For example, features that indicate whether they are slobbish/neat, tired/energetic, optomistic/pessimistic, grumpy/friendly, old/young, etc.Â
And, er⌠donât do this:
^^ The above picture is an infamous drawing of the character Finn from Star Wars. Itâs been criticized for being a racist caricature of the character (and consequently, the actor that plays them). The unnaturally pink lips paired with the large protruding mandible (mouth) make this character look very unnatural. Not to mention that this drawing looks WILDLY unlike the actual character, almost as if just homogenizing certain black features without thinking about the way the individual looks. Â
Read/consume stuff from Artists/writers of color! See how THEY stylize POC and take notes!Â
Keep in mind that your characterâs race doesnât just have context in their looks, but in their place in the story, and the way that they act as well! Certain tropes, such as the âmammyâ black woman or the âthugâ black man, will raise alarms. Be mindful of this! Search the web for tropes so that you can learn to avoid them. Now, this isnât to say you canât have a strong or violent black character, but if all your black characters are strong and violent, that becomes an issue.Â
((As long as weâre talking about tropes, asian women with short, dyed hair who are âbadassâ and emotionally closed off and âcoolâ because they donât care what u think⌠just.. no.))
To avoid stereotypes, having a range of characters who all exhibit different personalities, and who become their own people, is a great way to spread diversity in your work.Â
An excerpt from @/sugaryacid âs post on twitter:Â
An excerpt from Kat Tsaiâs compilation of Asian Faces tutorial! :Â
And as always, study study study!!! The only way youâre going to recognize the nuances and diversities between people is if you study lots of different people! So go stare at some strangers face lol!Â
