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KDdreamer — Preliminary Drawing
Published: 2012-02-03 10:55:44 +0000 UTC; Views: 1089; Favourites: 32; Downloads: 3
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So this is just a preliminary drawing for my conceptual illustration class.The idea was to focus on an article we received about how by eating too much sushi made with certain fish, we're slowing killing them off.
I decided to play with the idea of "Erotic Sushi" and mermaids.
Erotic because sex sells, and mermaids, because like these slowly dying fish, are very rare. That, and I really wanted to draw a fucking mermaid.
With lots of hair.
Soo yea! Any feedback would be a big help since this is just a planning stage~
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Comments: 7
Oh, I saw this on Facebook! 
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the chop sticks is what made me believe it was sushi
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First glance - I certainly do not read the message you're trying to portray. I don't get sushi from this anywhere at all
How opposed are you to trying a different composition?
My main issues with this piece, is your subject matter seems to have a much too calm of a gesture to be supporting something so fatal, and dangerous. In addition, there aren't a lot of narrative elements. It's hard to read what this is about when we have a character (their design matters, but not too much to work with), their pose, and their expression. Generally more characters/environment/objects will help in the story telling sense.
Sadly, your topic is a bit on the difficult side to portray. I've been attempting to think of some ways to portray this... Eh, let's just do some spit-balling.
What's the goal? The audience needs to understand that sushi is killing off fish. Not just "fish," but certain fish, endangering only some. Using a mermaid as a representation is pretty good, just be careful that this is more aimed toward a propoganda sort of view, and not just a pinup/gore thing.
I suggest adding exotic/rare fish in the background in some way - perhaps do a bit of research, I'd imagine you can caricature their beauty if need be - you're really good at that. This way, the audience can see that this isn't simply an image about a mermaid, there are a lot of rare/endangered things.
We need to incorporate sushi - or your point won't be read at all. An obvious route would be to have a mermaid cut up into pieces arranged so we can tell it's a mermaid on a platter of sushi. This route takes care of our problems, yet ends up being possibly gorey and disturbing (Also, a bit unoriginal). I wonder if there's some way to just draw a huge-ass sushi, such that it takes up like, 4/5ths of the canvas, and inside you could have a mermaid/other various creatures in distress... I foresee readability issues...
Maybe, this image could take place in the ocean. Atop of the water, we'll see a boat, with some famous sushi house logo on it. The audience will see the boat pulling up a large net, where exotic fish/the mermaid will be held captive - suffering etc.
My point is - you don't have enough elements to portray your point. She looks absolutely gorgeous - but it turns into more of a pinup then anything.
I like your point that sex sells, but if you're going that route - don't sell it for sex-sake. This timid-back-only stuff sells, but in a provocative way - Like, it's too planned, and too erotic. If you were going with the boat/netted fish idea, having her facing the audience, maybe three-quarters or something; the mermaid would not be concerned who's watching if her chest is showing. Sex sells, but beauty is easier for the audience to be captivated by - that and they won't be distracted to your narrative.
Whattya think? I'll happily keep bouncing ideas with you!
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[link] here's the article the piece is for.
I agree. Sushi isnt reading as well as I would like it. If it were in color, I think it would a little more. The pieces on her back are assortments of sushi, mainly, pieces of what the article focuses around.
"The Toxic Five" are the 5 main fish that are being affected because of mass need for sushi.
Erotic Sushi is traditionally presented on the front of a woman, but I felt like that was too provocative for the article, so I stuck to a bare back instead.
She's sitting on a sushi chopping block, but you're right. It needs more elements that read "Sushi" and focuses on the problem.
What if I added her tangled in a net on her fin, then an assortment of cutting knives and ingredients for sushi near the block?
Do you think the mermaid is just too much?
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I generally, at the idea of that, woudl think that an image of a mermaid eating herself (creepy, but drives the point home) and looking as if she's enjoying it, without realizing she's commiting suicide/self destruction, could be cool.
I really like her pose here, and in the final drawing make sure to make her look more relaxed. The sketch looks just a little stiff, but that could just be me. I think where I notice it the most is her bottom.
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