#diversity matters
HBO’s Insecure has mastered the cinematographic art of properly lighting black faces. Diversity matters!
I love this can I please get more of this on my dash people
Ava Berkofsky stole her style from black cinematographers. Specifically Howard University trained cinematographers like Bradford Young, Malik Sayeed, and Christian Epps. If it weren’t for BellyandPariah she wouldn’t know what to do.
We shouldn’t be giving a copycat like this any kudos for just doing her job. Especially when she’s so technical about. This is how the colonial gaze still exists in white-lens’d black media.
One of my favorite commissioned projects I got to work on this year. HP asked me to create coloring pages that centered around diversity and inclusion. They gave me 100% creative freedom to do what I wanted and paid me well to do it. Download the free pages here.
It is so important to see color because every color has power and meaning. From a young age we assign certain behavior to particular colors without realizing that it is harmful and something we must unlearn. For this reason, I will always put black women and girls at the center of my work. I understand that dark skin is far too often devalued, misrepresented, and overlooked.
Shout out to black women and men, Indigenous, Latinos, Lgbtq community and other minority groups who basically saved this country from itself with this election. Also, can some of you guys move here to Ohio…I promise Columbus is a decent place, we need to turn Ohio blue .
The incredible Jason Reynolds gave some praise to Lamar Giles’ LAST LAST-DAY OF SUMMER! He says “All children deserve to exist in magical spaces where their imaginations and familial bonds will them into heroism…I for one am grateful to Giles, and this brilliant story, for that reminder.”
Just a reminder that Versify Books is a real imprint, started by Kwame Alexander so you know it’s genuine, it’s on Tumblr, and they want submissions from authors of color. You can do it, awesome people!!!
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Ukiyo-e Endgame
Japanese illustrator Takumi blends pop culture with the ancient Ukiyo-e art form in his latest series of superhero illustrations. To celebrate the recent Avengers: Endgame film release, the talented fantasy fan rendered each famous character in the style of authentic Japanese woodblock illustrations.
This is why representation matters. This is made by someone with true knowledge, respect, and appreciation for the culture, someone who truly knows it, not just some white kid going “oooh, I love anime so Imma draw “samurai” superheroes now.”
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Commissioned illustration and poster for the Racines Bookstore.
This bookstore is opening at the beginning of August in my hometown. Their store will put forward poc work only.
The event will be during our Pride Week in Montreal and is in collab with PrideMontreal, PrideCanada and Hoodstock.
I’ll be present at the art fair to sell zines, prints and stuffs :)
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Watch “Rodger & Hammerstein’s Cinderella: The Underrated Impact of a Diverse Cast” on YouTube
Rodger & Hammerstein’s Cinderella: The Underrated Impact of a Diverse Cast
Why a Patreon Page?
In short, because showing the faces and bodies of these characters is important, and high-quality character art is the best way to do that. And the best way to make more character art available, is to let other people help.
You see, there are several aspects of the Enemies of Creed series that I’m very proud of. The emotional weight of the journey, the suspense of the mystery, the relatability of the dialogue, and the openness of the world and its history are just a few.
But one aspect in particular that I’ve become increasingly proud of (especially given the how much I’ve learned this year about my own implicit racial bias) is how diverse the cast of characters is.
There isn’t a “default” skin color in this world, and the characters come in a variety of shades, shapes, and sizes. Multiple body types, facial features, and age ranges are represented, not just the ones that Hollywood considers ideal for marketing purposes.
And I believe one of the best ways to celebrate this diversity of characters is through the amazing art of Ryan Salway. Ryan approaches character visual design with a careful eye and genuine respect for each character as an individual, and I think you can see that in the art I’ve commissioned from him in the past. Every piece that Ryan has created for Enemies of Creed has never failed to far surpass my expectations, and further fuel my excitement for the series and provide endless inspiration.
And that’s why I want to be able to provide SO MUCH MORE of this incredible and diverse character artwork to all of you. But funding those commissions on my own requires saving up, and that takes time. (Usually just about two pieces every other year.)
That’s where Patreon comes in.
Ryan has agreed to partner with me in creating this Patreon page to see if we can use it to successfully fund new ongoing character art every month. It’s an experiment and we’re taking a chance on it, but I’m hoping you’ll help us make it work.
By becoming a patron, you’ll be helping to support the creation of independent fantasy art that both enriches the Enemies of Creed series AND promotes the idea that not all fantasy characters need to look like they’re Europeans in their mid-twenties.
Patrons at ANY tier of support will be able to continue new chapters of Enemies of Creed as they come out each month (yes, I’m committing to that) and they’ll be able to see new character art as it appears within those chapters. (In other words, you’ll see the art for a character when they appear in the story.)
Patrons at the next tier and above will get early access to character art as soon as it is shared by Ryan (even if that character may not show up in the story for a long time.)
I won’t go into all the different tiers and there benefits here. My main point is that by helping us fund this art, we want to make sure you’re getting something out of it too. And if you have any suggestions or feedback on how we can do that better, please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts.
I’m excited to be on this journey together with you all! Now let’s make something FANTASTIC!!
