Yeah this would definitely not be a part of my honors project but maybe for the Punk DIY class?  I have no idea where this came from…just a random text document I came across.  There must’ve been a sketch or something of the characters spoken of…I noticed one is called a “Bullfalo” and for awhile I went throw a phase of combining similar animals into one so maybe I drew a picture of a Bull and a Buffalo?  Dunno… I’ll think about fleshing them out for DIY

which reminds me I have a few other ideas for that class I wanted to post…

Lovetush Bullfalo

Lovetush is a shy and modest guy.  He loves and cares for everyone, especially his best friend Little Ladybug.  He is quiet, but has a good sense of humour and is very loyal and devoted to his friends.  Lovetush is not a fighter, but if those he cares about are threatened he won’t hesitate in defending them.

Little Ladybug

Little Ladybug loves everybody, especially her best friend Lovetush Bullfalo.  She’s a party girl and brings happiness and luck where ever she goes.  With Little Ladybug by your side you’ll never have a frown.  It’s all sunshine and rainbows from here on out.

Going through some of my old text files I salvaged from my old computer on my harddrive I came across this…it seems that I’m finding quite a few good characters to use in my project just by taking a look at my own personal creative history.  I will definitely use this one.

Again, I feel what I have already established about it in the past will suffice for now until I have to write about the theoretical stuff.  In any case I remember doodling these…senior year of high school I think…they were like the video game bowling ball bombs from mario.

Original info:

About Bomb

Just as humans cannot chose the families they are born into or the places they are from, bombs cannot chose to be created and used to hurt others.  BombS don’t want to hurt others, this is not the path they have chosen, this is the life they were forced into.
There are many reasons why Bombs don’t want to hurt others, for one, they die in the process.  Bombs’ only wish is to live a life that is their own in peace and to end all wars.  They realise this is impossible since they are a key component of war, but they hope that if they band together and refuse to fight the world will finally know peace.

Bomb slogans

“Let us live peacefully.”

“Don’t make me die for a cause that’s not mine.”

“I did not choose this existence…

…Let me live peacefully.

…I don’t want to die that way.

…I don’t want to kill.

…all I want is peace.

…I want to chose my own future.”

“I regret my existence.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Forgive me for I have no control over what I do.”

“Peace saves lives.”

“Blame money.”

“I want to take control of my future.”

“Stop telling me what to do.”

“I refuse to have my fate predetermined.”

“War = Death.”

“There is no reason behind war.”

“War leads to lose, lose leads to war.”

“Don’t Abuse Me.”

“Don’t Use Me.”

“What happened to freedom?”

“Stop hiding behind me.”

“Scape-goat”

“Misused technology.”

“Unnatural Being”

“I’m just as scared as you.”

“War is not fun.”

“Fight your own battles!”

“Stop being an asshole.”

“I wish…”

“WMD

Will Madness Decease?”

“Unite against war!”

“[bomb with peace sign] Irony”

There once was a kit named Spooky
He looked a little kooky
He had one eye
and though he could not cry
you knew he was dying insideThen one faithful day
as a car drove Spooky got on the way
he was hit by the car
guts splattered near and far
he was now apart of tar

A mad scientist found him
feeling bad about the time he tried to drown him
he put poor spooky together
patching him up with pleather

Frustrated with his life
Spooky stole a knife
And quickly ended his dysfunctional life
Yet, that night he did return
In heck he would not burn
The devil said it was not the end of his term

So now he walks the Earth
Dare not ever giving mirth
He dreams of the day he will leave this turf
And that’s all I have to say
about my cat Spooky, he dreamed of dying one day.

I published that poem 05/31/09 on fictionpress.com (http://www.fictionpress.com/u/62785/) and created Spooky around the same time (http://www.angelfire.com/comics/cathrine/spooky.html).  I was pretty into Johnny the Homicidal Maniac at the time and some pretty dark stuff…probably because of my own personal mood…I wasn’t very happy at the time to say the least haha…

In his own way I think he fits in to the whole theme of child-adults that I was going for with my project…though in a more personal and serious way.  Now that I’m older it seems crazy that I could have been contemplating issues such as suicide in such a way so young.  I wasn’t the only one either and I know this first hand.

I’d really like to reclaim Spooky for this project, more for the sake of piecing my identity together more than anything though the more I think about it the more he theoretically fits in with the analytical part of my project.  I don’t think I need to do much further research to develop his character.  My own life experience has provided enough.  I think I’ll only need to “hit the books” when it comes time to write the paper to get concrete facts on teens and suicide and oh so happy things like that… (don’t even get me started on Spooky’s associate Catherine who was turned android after she jumped out of a window–where was this all coming from?!)

I’ve been thinking about this a lot since I spoke to Amy the other night and what she said was true.  I often lose myself in other things, so much so that I forget who I am.  Honestly, I don’t really know where to even begin this question, but perhaps it would be best if I specify the question, as Amy suggested, to “Who Am I in terms of the work that I’m doing?” What affect does this work have on me?  What does it mean to me?  Why is it important?  How can I as an artist relate to and bond with the work I’m creating?

I think with these questions in mind I can start to tackle the issue of my identity…

So…now I’m going to try and brainstorm ways I can answer these questions…

In order to do this I find that it is inevitable that I still ask the broader questions of who I am…however, since that is more personal and less relevant to my work I’m going to keep that in my seperate/personal blog outside of this one: http://foxunbound.blogspot.com/

Kitsch – gaudy/trite stuff that is cute and fashionable

Character goods movement in Japan

Friendswithyou all guy group; cheesy fun characters
Groups part of the movement
Collaboration is key

Commercializing without selling out

Take things from real life and turning them into creatures

Limited edition goods boost up value

Transforming original idea to final idea
- Create a story and character write up
- drawings based on interpretation
- combo handsewn and machine + embroidery
- paper and/or muslin prototypes after developing a pattern
- search for online patterns for help
- don’t be afraid to make changes and add new ideas as you work

What’s a city without a little organized crime?

Reapers

There’s a lot of small fry gangs all throughout Tha. It’s typical. Very few are known for anything except for being an annoyance. The Reapers are not one of these. The Reapers could be considered Tha City’s own personal Mafia. Yay.
Reapers are conniving, malicious, and very cunning. Every day they recruit a new batch of urban youth to replenish their ranks. These kids are just pawns and are naive to the evil and corruption the Reapers are capable of. Most are interested in the familylike unit and protection Reapers provide, others are just looking to make a quick buck and think joining the Reapers is the best way to do it, and then there are those that join just to look cool. The true masterminds behind the Reapers are shrouded in shadow and mystery. They are never seen except for their glowing empty eyes and sinister grins.
The head of the Reapers arrogantly calls himself Tha King. According to him, the Reapers own Tha City. Unfortunately, if we look at how connected the Reapers are we see his statement isn’t so far from the truth….

Now to establish the world my characters live in. At least a little bit.

Tha City

Claustrophobic, smothered in tall dark skyscrapers buildings and smog. Days are gray nights are black. Everything aside from the glow of orange street lamps is monochromatic; white, gray, black. Every place is crowded and dirty. Only source of color comes from diverse inhabitants and graffiti/street art.

Some areas in Tha City are rougher than others. Uptown Tha is where the upperclass live. This also happens to be where all the nicest stores are and where all the tourists come. This area of course is a lot more well kept than the rest of Tha.
Midtown Tha is where things start to get a little rough. Buildings aren’t as well kept, but the area is still in pretty good condition. Crime is limited. Life is decent. This is where G Boy lives. Outsiders aren’t scared to walk through the streets of Midtown Tha. This is where the more affordable hotels are for tourists visiting Tha.
As we get closer to Downtown Tha, though things start to get rougher and rougher. Nobody not from Downtown Tha likes being in Downtown Tha. Hell, people from Downtown Tha don’t like being in Downtown Tha–but they don’t have much of a choice. Crime is everywhere. Trashcans on fire, cars on fire, barking dogs, car alarms, fire alarms, gunshots. It’s total chaos. A warzone with no signs of peace or an end. Drugs, prostitution, bootlegging, name it, Downtown Tha’s got it. Though it’s chaotic, Downtown Tha is the most diverse place in Tha City since it is the only place immigrants and refugees can afford to live. Poor ‘fugees, fleeing one warzone just to find themselves in another. This is where Bubblegum POP lives.

Here’s a list of songs I find relevant to my project. Music can be a real motivator to help me get work done and when it works into what I’m doing it can help me come up with some interesting ideas. Also, if I do end up doing a fashion show at the end I think this could be really useful later.

Songs with * next to them are ones I’m thinking about using for the fashion show or to rep. my art in general b/c they talk about the same issues I’m thinking about.

The Abomination – Art in Manila
*Building A Religion – Cake
The Distance – Cake
War Pigs – Cake
The People – Common
Red to Black – Fort Minor
Slip Out the Back – Fort Minor
Whatever – Gnarls Barkley
Fire Coming Out of A Monkey’s Head – Gorillaz
*Kids With Guns – Gorillaz
*Virtual Insanity – Jamiroquai
Fear – Jazmine Sullivan
Amazing – Kanye West
Spaceship – Kanye West
We Don’t Care – Kanye West
Bleed It Out – Linkin Park
American Terrorist – Lupe Fiasco
Fighters – Lupe Fiasco
*Little Weapon – Lupe Fiasco
Never Lies – Lupe Fiasco
*Put You On Game – Lupe Fiasco
Beef – Mos Def
*Hip Hop Is Dead – Nas
If I Ruled the World – Nas
Paper Planes – M.I.A.
*Love Bomb – N.E.R.D.
Spaz – N.E.R.D.

Davy is the only character mentioned so far that has a face, but on the other hand he has no story. I’d like to keep it that way though. While researching Hello Kitty I kept coming across the notion of Kitty being an icon rather than a character, something that bends and molds depending on the audiences tastes. She is anything her fans want her to be and more. This is her appeal, but it leaves little room for character development and growth. I was quite taken by this, but I knew since I want a message for my project this would be very difficult to do. If I left characters too vague my point would definitely be unclear.

Davy, however, gives me the option to do that.

Davy was first created in Italy in my, at the time, brand new sketchbook. A fuzzy blue creature with no eyes, big red lips, and a creepy grin. No doubt inspired by the Gorillaz and a show I used to watch growing up called “Aaaahh! Real Monsters!” Davy became a slight doodle obsession of mine since then, creepy and yet able to bring me a certain sense of comfort.

Then when I visited London during my semester break abroad I came across an exhibit about Gargoyles (I wish I could remember any information about the gallery and exhibit but I can and it’s so frustrating). The Gargoyle featured in the exhibit was frightening and grotesque, but upon reading the artist’s statement on the work it made sense. Simply put, gargoyles are good demons that we create and control to scare away other demons.

That is what Davy is. He is a gargoyle. He has no character really, he is just an icon. I want him to represent both a protective force as well as stand in as a reflection of what he is to protect against. He will probably never speak or have any said personality of his own, much like Hello Kitty. It’s up to the audience to decide what he’s like.

I already feel I’ve succeeded in giving him life after creating his ceramic form. When I think of him I do sort of feel a sense of protection, but naivety. There are dark things in the world and though he could be considered “good” he’s one of them.

He’ll appear everywhere; character’s clothes, keychains, notebooks, doodles, etc. Yet, very rarely if ever will he actually appear in person.

He’s the hero, the good force to counteract Reaper evil.

EDIT: It’s also important to note that though Davy is the Gargoyle Guardian of Tha City, he is not the only Gargoyle in the world. There are others out there just like him.

She feels no fear
She feels no pain
What she kills is
What she stands to gain
She’ll do it with a smile
Life’s just a game

Lil Miss Bubblegum POP’s character comes from a few places. First, I wanted a foil to G Boy. Someone who was actually from the hood but you’d never guess it. So I decided a sweet, cute, and lovable little girl would certainly do the trick, but I needed more than that to truly foil G Boy. Then I began to think about the child soldiers in Africa and how desensitized they are. Then I thought, what if this girl has been around so much violence, death, murder, and destruction it has just ceased to have an impression on her any longer. What if it has become so ingrained it is simply seen as a natural thing–as essential to everyday living as breathing.

Now I didn’t want to perpetuate the stereotype of all urban places being hyperviolent murder zones with guns going off everywhere all the time and people fighting and killing each other in the street. But, violence does happen, and it would be naive to ignore it. Yet, the violence at the level in which Bubblegum POP has experienced it is unlikely to happen in even the worst cities in this country. So, in comes the villians..ha.

Lil Miss Bubblegum POP is super sweet and friendly. She enjoys cakes, candies, and anything cute. There doesn’t seem to be a mean bone in her body.
In truth she’s deadly. She could shoot a man dead without a second thought and keep smiling. Abandoned as a baby Bubblegum POP was taken in by the city’s most notorious and dangerous gang; the Reapers. She was raised to be a killing machine and her aim is good. All Bubblegum POP has ever known is the violence the Reapers have exposed her to. She is not heartless, she is misguided.

EDIT: While thinking about POP’s little tag poem I realized that her dissensitivity to violence could mirror the same sort of feelings younger generations who play violent games such as Grand Theft Auto have. In those games players hurt kill and murder without a second thought, taking joy in it as they gain points and rewards for it. As POP is rewarded in a similar way by the Reapers this seems relevant.

RESEARCH

I guess…the most helpful research I can do for Bubblegum POP is the affects violence have on children in different scenarios. Of course child soldiers seem to be the most relevant. How are they brainwashed into becoming killing machines? Do they really show no remorse for their actions? How do they become so desensitized? Furthermore, I’m interested to know what kind of people do this to children? I think this research may disturb me the most but it also seems to fascinate me the most as well so I’m prepared for it.

A concern I have, not just for Bubblegum POP but for all my characters is portraying them without glorifying gang violence.

EDIT: Something else to research – video game violence and how it dissensitizes youth.