Hello. If I may ask, how did you come to the decision to give your Faramir short hair? I like your artwork a lot and I've come to picturing him with a shorter hair too. Though, I'm confused by the passage where Faramir's and Eowyn's hair "mingled" in the wind and the Anglo-Saxon lore behind LOTR (where noblemen were more likely to have long hair). You are very accurate on anglo-saxon and early medieval details in your illustrations, and I'm curious how you made the decision on this hair issue back then. It intuitively seems very on point for me, but I'm not sure why. Maybe Numenorean-ness is the key. ..I'm fine if you don't answer.
Hiya, and thanks a lot for your message. I think my initial reasoning to explain Faramirās shortish hair in most of my art was that during the time LotR is set he spent most of his time as a ranger in Ithilien and that short hair would be easier to maintain. Also, his length of hair tends to vary in the drawings and paintings Iāve done over the years. Itās not always consistent. I also like it, since itās a bit different from the usual ābloke-in-fantasy-setting-must-have-long-hairā thing. I even depicted Beleg CĆŗthalion with short hair, to set him apart visually from TĆŗrin whom I always pictured with long hair. I think in the end, it comes down to personal taste as well, and to what feels right for the character (which can be very subjective).
Concerning the Anglo-Saxon connection, my understanding is that the NĆŗmenĆ³reans and their descendents werenāt as strongly based on them as e.g. the Rohirrim ā although arguments could certainly be found for either long or short hair among the peoples of Gondor. I guess in the end, itās safe to assume that all kinds of hair-lengths and haircuts existed, along with a variety of colours.
As for the hair-mingling passage described in LotR, my thinking was that even with hair of less than shoulder-length, given the length of Ćowynās hair, plenty of mingling would still be possible ;)
@kurokioryaā challenged me with these a longĀ time ago - here goes
I just donāt feel right to tag people I donāt know well to my awful questions :) See for yourself: Ā
Iāve put my answers under the cut, since many of the questions really arenāt easy, or of interest to everyone.
1. Are you an easy-going person? Is it hard for you to make friends in a new company?
Iām not exactly an easy-going person, but I play one on TV.Ā Iām good at empathy, and I really listen to people; however, I hold myself to too high a standard to relax easily. Sometimes my standards for myself make those around me uneasy.Ā Iām rarely completely at ease with people (including people Iāve known for years).Ā Ā
2. Do you think that countries with historically-entrenched autocracy (eg Russia or Qatar) will benefit from establishing a western-type liberal democracy?Ā
I think people underestimate how longĀ it takes for meaningful social change.Ā Every generation thinks that it has the right standards, and isĀ āthe end productā; consequently, every generation is both a force for change and - eventually - reactionary.Ā In the biggest sense, there is improvement with every generation in terms of moving from a self- or family- based focus to one that considers the well-being of the whole (and even that kind of progress can be nullified because of disasters, including war etc.).Ā
Also, liberal democracy in the west varies widely.Ā My own belief is that the US, for example, has been a plutocracy since it was founded; it is easing its way very slowly, and with a lot of mis-steps, towards something akin to ātrueā democracy (complete enfranchisement), but the wealthy have far too much power right now for the shift to be anything but slow and painful.Ā Every western country has issues with race and poverty (and sexism, homophobia, and much more), which means that full enfranchisement is still a long way off.Ā Ā
So... I think your question is too complicated for me to answer, because true democracy has never existed - those who invented it disenfranchised women, immigrants / people of the āwrongā race, the poor, and the uneducated.Ā That said, I do think that a shift away from autocracy is eventually necessary to the social evolution of a nationās people and the world as a whole.Ā In the short term, itās painful, ineffective, and inefficient.
Are you interested in fashion? Do you consider your clothes and make-up a way to express yourself?
No (despite having a clear sense of colour and aesthetics).Ā I resent spending time and energy on clothes and make-up (especially in a world that has such wildly different standards for men and women).Ā Clothes and make-up are a massive source of stress for me; Iād rather be able to wear a loose dress, or PJs, or yoga pants, and not be judged.Ā
Are you ready to move to another city or country in search of a better employment?
Iāve done it before.Ā Right now, Iām happy where I am.
What do you think about adultery? Do you condemn such people?
I think adultery is wrong because it means breaking a promise to be faithful (whether or not marriage is involved).Ā Problem is, from my moral standpoint, adultery requires a freely-given promise, and the right of every person to retract that promise.Ā Where those conditions are met, a person should have to take the appropriate steps to retract their promise beforeĀ infidelity occurs.Ā And yes, that may cause them discomfort, embarrassment, and the loss of certain advantages.Ā If theyād rather break their promise than openly face the person to whom the promise was made, then I tend to condemn.Ā (Argh, why so complicated, Kuro???!!)
Do you have an experience of being prejudiced or discriminated (against)?
Yes (specific instances and in general).Ā It will take a lot longer than people think for women (especially young women) to be valued equally as aĀ matter of course and not as some kind ofĀ āvirtueā.Ā This is the problem with systemic inequality - those who have benefited from the system are both consciously and unconsciously blind to the prejudice (and very defensive about it).
Have you ever hurt or harmed someone (albeit unwillingly) and then regretted it?
Yes.
What do you think about traditional gender differences being less and less distinctive in modern society (well, in the most modern part of it)? Do you fell like itās an opportunity to live a more interesting life or are you afraid that the world is going in some wrong direction?
I think that the (very, very gradual) dissolution of traditional gender differences (both in terms of roles and in terms of relevance) is a complicating and unsettling facet of modern society.Ā Itās not wrong (the reverse); but it is scary, even for those who will benefit.Ā Humans have often chosen oppression over trying to change somethingĀ āknownā.Ā So it can be both interesting andĀ scary.Ā Either way, itās necessary.
Do you have any ambitions to do something big and important in your life?Ā
I think I may have, once.Ā Now Iām not so sure itās what I really want.Ā Setting aside being prime minister, or being on the supreme court, I still have a quiet, flickering ambition to be a good and popular writer.
How do you usually deal with depression or bad mood (if you have any)?
Poorly.Ā At the moment, I lack the resilience to do what I need to do to deal more appropriately / effectively.Ā Okay... um... Listening to music; singing; being left alone; writing.Ā I dislike sunshine, so thatās a problem.Ā Chocolate (not good, but not the worst strategy).Ā Completing one single, specific task.Ā Oh, and well-written games or books that arenāt afraid to poke fun at themselves and the world.
Ah, I guess some questions are a bitā¦ heavy. But I really tried to think of something I want to know. Feel free to skip the ones you donāt like to answer (or just ignore the whole thing).
@kurokiorya Š¾ŃŠ²ŠµŃŠøŠ»(a) Š½Š° Š²Š°ŃŠµ ŃŠ¾ŃŠ¾: scentofblackart: Tennoji in Snow, Kawase Hasui,...
@filliteapotā, have you seen any other works of Hasui Kawase? Seems that heās my favorite japanese artist. Heās incredible. Thereās even one work of his in Moscow museum of Oriental Art.
I saw some other works of this artist and loved them! (Especially this one) Iāll check his other works then, if you say so <3 Also, glad to know about the museum, hehe.Ā
I was tagged in Creatorās tag game by @kurokiorya and @very-x-vice to name my favourite 5 works I made in 2017. Thank you for tagging me~ It seems everyone I know already did this or 2017 art summary, so i wonāt bother anyone tagging them. Sometimes itās really hard to choose, because iām mostly unsatisfied with everything I draw, but in 2017 I was more merciful to my own drawings than ever.
1.Ā Chizuru and the Wildly Overdramatic Shinsengeese. My absolute favourite among una sortas. The best part of it is getting associated with these glorious birds and getting photos of them or ducks from my friends from time to time.
2. My favourite gouache pic of the year. I like gouache, but drawing with it takes so much time, so I mostly used pensils or pens in 2017. But drawing this was a pleasureā¦
3. The first of inktober, testing new ink named Tosh, drawing its namesake. I guess Iām a bit more satisfied with this pic than all other inktober ones. x>
There is one thing that amazes me the most of twitter conversations: you never know how a conversation can go from discussing Hakuouki ships to fairytales and Tolkienās essay. Tbh I can say it about any other media: you ask for a context for an official art and get ideas for a series about certain geese instead
5. I! drew! a fire&hemlock! fanart! Itās something surreal, honestly. Failed enormously with hemlock, but the fact that i finally made a fanartā¦ is more importantā¦
hameowlton Š¾ŃŠ²ŠµŃŠøŠ»(a) Š½Š° Š²Š°Ń ŠæŠ¾ŃŃ: Do you...
I always change Chizuruās proportions while drawing her. She looks like a damn 12-year-old in Hakuouki. Tiny neck, tiny shoulders, enormous head and insectās eyes =/
Iām glad to know that there are enough people to form a letās-draw-Chizuru-in-a-more-realistic-way squad :>
Okay... I don't remember how exactly I came over your blog. Probably, someone reblogged your art. I was very surprised to find something so sofisticated and personal. Your drawings have ideas and thoughts behind them - it's not a common case. They give a feeling of a real vivid personality behind them. That's what I liked and why I stayed =) And let's not forget O. Henry. //And, please, don't consider it a flattery - the relative anonimity of tumblr frees me from unnecessary shyness.
Thank you! Iām very glad to know that you feel this way and grateful for all your comments and kind words :> I guess I also started following you because of your drawings and O.Henri :D I remember how pleasantly surprised I was to receive a message about it from you :ā>
