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Anonymous Coward · 4mo
hello! I wanted to ask what country is Ta’ka from. I wish to learn more about his culture and admittedly I do want to research the clothing style he has, but I'm unable to find it
Anonymous Coward · 10mo
Is there a comic or story for your characters for us to follow? I love your design and would love to see more of it!
Anonymous Coward · 10mo
Whats your line between inspiration and reference. Ive been working on a fantasy world pulling alot from african history, legends , cultures and the like. As an African American I'm very worried about being offensive accidentally using a reference that have a deeper importance than I am aware of not being raised in any of these regions.
My biggest rule is to never completely copy one for one.
If you see a mask, an outfit , jewelry, you should change it significantly. It should feel like it COULD’VE came from that culture not just a copy of something within that culture. Think of yourself as a fashion designer. Be inspired by the abstract and speculate on what ifs as well.
Ex: what if there was fictional Cameroonian tribe who worshipped a big red fish found deep in a lake.
Completely random but now you know they live near a lake, worship something red, have a Cameroonian vibe, probably have fish motifs on their clothing and homes etc etc.
This is a better way of approaching designs imho. This will lead you to create something completely new while still having some guidelines to help you.
Plus People can still tell where you got the influence from in my experience. So don’t really worry about the vibes not connecting.
Anonymous Coward · 10mo
Hello! I was curious about if there was a clear and concise listing on the cultures of everyone, and how they connect to their depictions? Since I myself, am trying to get into creating works of fiction rooted in ethnic backgrounds! Buttt I'm extremely forgetful, leaving me lost as to how to go about it and would like a general idea.. If you wouldn't mind me taking notes?..🥲
There’s no list existing or breakdown drawing but I can list them right now.
Maijira, Ta’ka, Rakan: United States Midwest/Southern blend
Yesenia: Belizean Blend
Paola: Brazilian (Bahia) Blend
Nadak: New Orleans + Gullah + Benin + Fante blend
Idriss: Northeastern/ DC/ United States + Yoruba Blend
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Nasser: Iranian (Bakhtiari base/ Isfahan)
Arik: Moroccan (Essaouira)+ Sudan (Makuria)
Some OCs are inspired by regions, some ethnic groups, some cities, some an era in time and some a blend of all the above.
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A lot of the chosen mixtures here have historical ties in real life. For example the enslaved brought to New York/DC were more likely from Nigeria than in Southern America where they were often from Angola/DRC so I added that to Idriss. The black Americans of the Midwest are of Southern heritage more often than not. So that’s why Maijira and Ta’ka have that blend.