HOME | DD
Fettcom — Help Me Home
Published: 2008-08-10 00:02:05 +0000 UTC; Views: 16378; Favourites: 245; Downloads: 710
Redirect to original
Description
Aaaaah, Caitlin.This is the idea I had for the chain sketch of "my favourite character". I tried to draw this, didn't work out. Rubbed it and just did a sketch to loosen up. I liked that sketch enough to upload it as the chain sketch.
Which freed this up. My art-trades done, I got no commissions, no other art projects. So I drew this. There's a somewhat interesting tale of how this all came to be (somewhat interesting in that it probably only interests me), and it went a lot further and became more complete than I expected.
I'm actually a little proud of myself. It's not... the bestest thing ever drawn, but it might be the best thing I've ever drawn.
Anyhow. Muscle woman. Has the personality of a woman. Doing a mundane thing. With no sexual overtones at all.
So it's obviously a "Fett" piece. Which means precisely four people will like it, other artists can shake their heads as I keep aping Mr Hughes, and the femuscle community at large can ignore it because it's not a masturbatory aid.
But I don't care.
I've spent the last two days hanging out with Caitlin Fairchild and I feel grand.
Enjoy, friends. ^___^
Update: For my 30th, did a commission that's kinda a continuation over here: [link]
Related content
Comments: 90
Sequence where she grow musular
👍: 0 ⏩: 2
Love this picture! Muscular but not over the top and still has femmen charm. This is a perfect example of what a muscle girl should look like (in my opinion). Good work.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
COOL...my fave Gen 13 character and my second Wildstorm...after Zealot.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
VERY EXCELLENT WORK!! How did she get stranded? *my OC :[link] arrives*
General Bardak: :[link] Hello, I'm General Alvaro Bardak.. Do you require any assistance?
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Dunno how she got there, but it seems she's found a lift; [link]
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Is it odd that i find this kind of image much more sexy than those "masturbatory aids" you mention? I think it's because she clearly has a personality beyond being muscular... characters with personalities are much more attractive than bland pinups, to me.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Okay, as a woman, I'm normally severely disturbed by super-muscly women because i almost think it distorts the natural human frame (I'm like that about men, too, actually 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
You are more than welcome. Thank you for the kind words!
It's all about Caitlin. I like to draw all the characters as characters first, and their aesthetic beauty is just icing. In the case of Caitlin, she's that strong and sweet girl - same for Starfire, I suppose. Wonder Woman wouldn't be 'sweet', but she'd be majestic, I suppose. Power Girl would by vivacious and lively. I try to make it about them as proper characters.
I'm glad that I've managed to do so here. Caitlin is one of my favourite characters.
To have someone who normally wouldn't like this type of aesthetic still think the character comes through and is enhanced because of it makes my day.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
You're very welcome! I guess I feel like at times, it's hard for people to depit women who are tough, but not, I dunno, butch? Lol. I was glad you brought up the Starfire reference--I'd never really thought about her in those terms before. I also think that many female superheroes are simply counterparts to the male original, and serve no purpose but to add a touch of sensuality. I don't know much about Caitlin at all, but I guess the fact that she's got all this strength and still manages to be adorable is a pretty strong statement
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Well, Starfire (at least, in the Teen Titans cartoon) is just ADORABLE. I love her! "You are a... Fnorg flingle!" She and Caitlin are similar.
Caitlin Fairchild is from Gen13. She is the typical uberbabe who happens to be a science-major. Very, very dull. She's the leader of the group and blah-blah-blah.
Two artists who wrote Gen13 here and there, gave her a twist that made her interesting. They're both on dA; and . Both Adams. Anyhow, Adam Hughes did a short two-issue comic called "Ordinary Heroes". You can get it in a tradepaperback. It comes with his short 11-page story, "Wham! A Gen13 tale", a bunch of pin-ups, and, unfortunately, a crappy two-issue story by Alan Davis which Adam had nothing to do with. (I don't get why it's collected.)
Anyhow, the origin of Gen13 is that these five kids are kidnapped by a secret evil government organisation because their parents were part of a super-soldier program called Gen12. They're the next generation, and in captivity, their super powers activate. They escape and it's boring. One of them is essentially the human torch, another is Storm, and blah blah. Caitlin is a bookworm and her power is that she grows to over six-feet tall, becomes super strong and super sexy. Whoop-dee-doo.
What the two Adams did (independently) was realise that Caitlin was about 16, 17 years old when she got kidnapped. At this point she has grown accustomed to the fact she is a plain, bookish, nerd who will never be cool or sexy and is just a regular gal who likes science. Then she becomes this uber-babe. She STILL doesn't get she's this uberbabe. So she acts completely innocent of it and doesn't carry herself in that way, or use her appearance to get what she wants. She doesn't get it. Adam Warren had a moment in a comic where she points out she gets startled by her reflection, because she keeps forgetting what she looks like.
So here, I've drawn her with this lanky, clumsy gait. Because she may look like a model, but she doesn't get that she looks that way.
By the same token, Starfire is a tomboy-ish, clumsy lil' girl. Yet she's this beautiful princess. The body language and attitude creates an interesting dimension in her character by contradicting her outward appearance.
That's what's fun about Caitlin. It is present in those guys' comics, and almost nowhere else. But it's what I love about her.
If you think it's hard to depict women tough without being butch, take a look at . He knows how to draw women as more than just T&A, and how to make them strong without butch. His gallery is a damn master class in that.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Wow, thank you!! I will certainly have to look into that 
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
You're welcome! It's really only present in a few issues. The Ordinary Heroes TPB I mention, and some of Adam Warren did several issues. He did two HYSTERICAL mini-series on the gang, but neither focused on Caitlin.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Very nice piece. I enjoy the general atmosphere and feeling in this piece. Despite all physical appearances, she's still just a girl. Her manner, smile, possessions and the hitchhiking thumb belie what she looks to be very capable of. It's drawing that very much appeals to me, but that being said, I'm probably not one of your target audience
I appreciate the female form in it's various shapes and sizes (yep, even muscle women to a point). What does bother me sometimes is when they're objectified in such a way that they're merely a... masturbatory aid, as you mentioned. Kudos on your endeavor and keep up your work. As someone who does pieces mainly to please her own artistic sensibilities, I know that doesn't always make for popular art.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thanks! I don't really have a target audience. I draw 'em too big for pretty much everyone and too demure for the guys who like 'em that big. I'm trapped in the middle!
Thank you for the kind words.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
Don't sell yourself short; you made some great art here
I especially loved her smile, it's so disarming.
My only regret is that I didn't make it into the Fett's four cap
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I'll extend my cap of four, just for you! Awww.
Thanks for the praise!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Really like the atmosphere with this piece, nice warm sunset/sunrise glow mixes well with her pose and expression. Makes it very inviting
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I like this piece. I'm not one of the Four. I'd rather be one of the Eight or Eighty-Eight. My heritage is Chinese. We like Eights. 👍: 0 ⏩: 1
[I was considering typing a bunch of random letters and then saying ... "sorry, but I was busy masturbating," but I thought better of that. My attempt at humor might not show through. My wife's the only who truly understands me...and I built her myself
Ok, back to Lurking.
That was the most Cthulhu-esque response ever. Eights? Homemmade wives? Cats and dogs living together! Mass hysteria!
Thanks!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Your welcome. "I like mass hysteria, makes grocery shopping easier," said the Spawn to the Flying Polyp.
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I'm not surprised you rate this as your best work. Without even looking at the rest of your gallery, which I have done anyway, I've no doubt this would stand out no matter what.
The colours, the shading, the props, the subject. All come together to create a wonderful piece of art...
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
I hate you. I hate you, Mister "Look at all the beautiful buff women in my gallery. I know them, you know. As actual people." Rubbing my face in it. Why I oughtta.... one of these days: POW! ZOOM! Straight to the moon!
...
I mean, ah... um... thank you. Thank you, very much.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Hehe... and I'm not apologising for it, either!
Yes, I'm lucky in some regards. I could be more than just the photographer, mind you. Then I'd be classed as really lucky...
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
*shakes his fists in impotent rage*
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
I'm not really sure why you would think that I'd like this piece. I'm certainly not one of the 4 people you mentioned in the description. . . . I do however love the piece and would like to make it my own .
The Bit about the masturbatory nonese is really just that. Thought you'd throw in a little shock value?
There I'm shocked . . . you happy.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Yup. I thought you'd like this as it's actually finished and is pretty non-fmg (by my standards).
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
a very sweet and wonderful pic.
great to see something so expressive and with such a sense of story.
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
awesome. it really reflects the ordinary heroes mini series, which contained an incarnation of catlin that one could easily fall in love with. This really connects on the same vibes, but only more beefer 
i wouldn't care about what others in the community would think about this, or other artists in general. if you're not doing it for yourself, who are you doing it for? and more importantly, for what reasons?
...masturbatory aid? heh. sad but true. it is the same (and very personal) attraction we all bear that makes the community what it is everyone's got their preferences and will do so accordingly, that's their right, but do not let that influence affiliate negativity upon your work as mere masturbatory aid unless that was why it was created. Transformations still probably have a way to go 
it does suck though that one's more powerful (no pun intended) pieces of art with a statement are far less popular than the ones that would serve as, you guessed it, masturbatory aid. sex sells :\
but at the end of the day it's a community of people with the same instincts that share their own visions to others who, if nothing else, understand them
:sigh:
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
Thanks a lot, Zeromager! Very kind words indeed.
AND! 4 (attempted) emoticons in a single post! So expressive!
👍: 0 ⏩: 1
tell me about it. people say I act like a mix between quentin tarantino and robin williams while I'm at the bar
👍: 0 ⏩: 0
This here are my original comments for this piece. I thought I'd let the piece do what it could on its own, then later, put this up because, well, I think it's kinda interesting - for me at least. I wrote this comments as I uploaded it, then changed it at the last minute to what's above. The below hasn't been edited, so... enjoy or some such.
"I've been a bit of an emotional mess lately. Lots of strong feelings, both good and bad, but strong nonetheless, and also mysterious and confusing. Lots of ambivalence. Not to worry though - nothing bad has happened and my spirits are not down. As I say - emotionally... lost, I suppose.
So I sat down to draw the Caitlin chain sketch I was going to do. Remember that? The Caitlin chain sketch I did, I said it wasn't what I planned to do. I was asked by Elee to do my 'favourite character', in my 'favourite pose', in my 'favourite setting'. I don't have a pose or setting of preference, but the character was Caitlin Fairchild of Gen13 fame. When I sat down to do the chain sketch, I wanted to draw Caitlin sitting down in a particularly gangly way; a lanky, ungraceful fashion. See, the way I see it: Caitlin isn't used to her body. So even though she's built to perfection, her gait is lacking all grace. She plods and wobbles... anyhow.
The chain sketch, I started doodling this, but it didn't work at all. So, to loosen up, I erased and just drew anything with Caitlin. I ended up drawing, I think, a nice sketch of her.
But this 'sitting down' Caitlin was still in my head. I get the art trades for Red and Jeb done, and I wanted to draw it. So I sat down and drew it. Usually, I plan stuff out quite a bit before I put pencil to paper. But, I was an emotional mess and I couldn't really focus. So I just drew.
"What's she sitting on?" I thought. Remembered the opening scene of Gen13: Ordinary Heroes (by the gentleman that is Adam Hughes). Gave her the trunk. Gave her Mr Bear. "Why she sitting there?" I also had another question: "What's she doing with her right arm?" I hadn't drawn it yet. I started doodling. Drew the arm, but didn't know what the hand was doing. Holding something? A comically large weight? Hitchhiking? Yeah. That's why she has her trunk. But she's bare foot. Put one on the floor, with a hole in it. She's tired of walking. Give her a backpack. It doesn't matter you changed the clothes. Keep the colouring the same.
I then scanned it. Coloured it. Put it at night. Didn't like it. It was too cold. I didn't like the idea she looked like she was sitting like that because she was cold. I wanted her to be uncomfortable with herself. So daytime. I spent a lot of time working the palette - just picking the right colours. Started colouring it, doodling in the background with my wacom tablet. No filters, just using the brush tool.
When it was done - I have to say, I really was happy. I was... emotionally recharged. I looked at the pick and realised I drew Caitlin lost, hoping for a lift home. I looked at my state of mind. Liked the metaphor.
Sometimes art can be very, very therapeutic.
I normally don't say this much stuff about my feelings, I like to let the work do itself. But this... I dunno. Thought I'd share."
👍: 0 ⏩: 2
| Next =>