Alright, for context, I am white! I grew up in a primarily white area. Almost all my friends are online, and I don't really know or ask what they look like. We just chatter and enjoy eachother's company! ^^
I am working on concepts for three members of my character Belshazzar's crew. I wanted three of his crew members to be freed slaves who joined. And I want to make sure I portray them respectfully and accurately!
Some things I'd like - Some resources about late 1700's/early 1800's, fashion, primarily about people of color who worked with pirates and various other sailor types.
Tutorials for some of the best ways to faithfully draw black characters once I get around to illustrating them.
But most importantly - I would LOVE some tips from black folks on what sort of thing they feel is important, what things I should steer away from, and anything I am unintentionally doing wrong.
So the character concepts are
Jack - He was around when Bel first landed on the deck of the ship that became known as the Phoenix. He and the old captain were really close. Unknown to anybody in the crew, they were actually gay and in a relationship. They raised Bel together. Jack was a young man who ran away from his owner in hopes of finding freedom, and was picked up by the old captain (Unnamed), and joined his crew. He is an extremely skilled mariner. Athletic, smart, quick on his feet, VERY good with ropes and could repair even the most heavily damaged sail. He was the captain's trusted First Mate. He served as First Mate for a while after the captain died and passed his ship on to Bel, and suggested the name "Phoenix" for the ship. He is mainly backstory, but very important to two other black characters who are still active on the ship. He passed away before the blog time began
Eleanor (Ellie) - When Bel first took over the Phoenix, he and Jack planned a raid on a ship bringing in a shipment to a very rich plantation owner. Among the cargo was a black woman and her young son, Samuel (Sam), who was about 13 years old. Bel offered to let them stay with him on board the Phoenix as long as they needed, and they ended up joining his crew. Eleanor is a kind and warm woman. Very skilled seamstress and good at crocheting and knitting. She's always willing to offer a helping hand whenever she is needed. She often worked with Jack to repair the sails if any damage happened, and is the one who tailored Victoria's clothing and helped her present more feminine (Very supportive of the trans First Mate)
Samuel (Sam) - Ellie's son, came on board at 13 years old. Jack took him under his wing and taught him everything he knew, and Sam has since taken his place, having learned all his skills as an apprentice before he died. Sam is stubborn, strong willed, and doesn't filter himself. He doesn't need to. Sam has a flair for fashion, a quick sense of humor, and is respected by his crew.
They are all respected members of the crew. Bel trusted Jack with his life (The man practically raised him), and has the same trust in Eleanor and Samuel.
Doing research, I learned that a lot of people of color were parts of pirate crews, especially freed slaves, because they had control of their own lives. So I wanted to work that into Bel's story. Especially with his unique views on body and identity (Based on where he came from)
Some info on Bel is on his blog:
https://www.tumblr.com/the-sky-pirate/819881199863496704/once-a-child-of-light-belshazzar-was-hit-directly?source=share
https://www.tumblr.com/the-sky-pirate/820084779756273664/captain-belshazzar?source=share
Anyway! Feel free to reblog with anything you think could help! I am not black, and do not have black life experience so I feel like learning experience from actual people of color would be incredibly helpful!