Sex and Model Sheets

Okay, so I've got two entries to catch up on.

First - the sex "will they or won't they" issue. I agree that this issue is pretty "done." I also think tension is what makes a story engaging, and sexual tension is riveting to most people.

I also agree that the way our story can be different is that we know, and the audience will know, and the characters know - they already did. And we know they most likely will again. So the question, and the tension, in my mind is - when will they? And why will they? And how will it start this time? And what will happen when it's done? That kind of tension. Which is cool to me. It's deeper and more dynamic. 

Because the more important question to me is - which one will change? They can't just be together because they are so different. Rick can't accept her totally because she is so not what he - and the world at the time - think a woman "should" be. So, will she eventually settle down? Will he eventually change his rigid definition of what's right? Will they meet in the middle? I don't know! And in the meantime, they will struggle with their feelings and their different views of the world, and with doing it and not doing it depending on the day and the circumstances and their emotional state. That's engaging - to me, anyway.

Wow. That was a tirade. Felt good though. And I think that makes sense to me. Does it make sense to you?

Now, the model sheet. Yay! A model sheet! How nice and exciting to see!

There's stuff I love about it, and stuff I'm going to knit-pick about it.

I love all the faces except the full front view. It's great to see her face take shape from all of those angles.

The front view has the thing that bothers me about some of the shots in the short. But it's driving me crazy that I can't pinpoint what it is exactly that I don't like! Are the eyes too far apart? Is the jaw just a bit too square, too manly? It's so damn close, but there's something too hard about it.

As for her body, it's the same thing. A little too manly. I'd like to see more curves for sure. I'd like her shoulders to be less broad, and her hips and butt rounder. I want her to be feminine and soft to an extreme - to contrast her more masculine personality traits.

Make sense?

Ruby Rocket Model

A new turn around drawing of Ruby Rocket. What do you think? I'm trying to keep her with realistic human proportions. About 7 heads high rather than the typical cartoon/comic book 9 or even 10. I tried not to make her too muscular or masculine, though I did want her to look like she enjoys a burger and fries on occasion. I didn't work too hard on her face for this turn around, though I do think here she resembles the "Ruby we like" from the short. She maybe looks a little bit young in the face to me, but close ups will add a few years of hard living.

Bitch bitch bitch bitching bitch follows. Feel free to skip this part:
I've recently upgraded to CS3 which I've kind of been waiting for to dive into Photoshop. I've used Photoshop a lot for manipulating images, but I can't think of a time I've ever actually created anything from scratch using it. This is the first, and I'm finding it a HUGE pain in the ass! I'm finding the drawing tools totally annoying and trying to do a turn around with out decent onion skinning or frame stepping features is a nightmare! Of course you can affect the transparency of your layers, but you have to type in the percentage every time, so you can't flip back and forth around the drawings very easily. Things were actually easier once I spread them out instead of drawing the figures in the same position the way you would on animation paper, but then I was constantly drawing on the wrong layer. You're working on one figure, referencing the ones on either side, and then of course you notice little things on the other drawings you want to fix. I couldn't keep my wits about me well enough to change layers every time, so my file's a total mess!

Of course I'm sure there are certainly a million tips and tricks for doing what I want, and naturally I'm going to be uncomfortable using an unfamiliar program that's as complex as Photoshop. I'm frustrated today, but I'm sticking with it.

Sex in the Rubiverse

On the one hand, I'm really sick of every show having a "Will they? Won't they?" relationship between the two leads. I'd like to have something a little more original or unexpected.

But that means they're having sex, right? Because if they're not having sex, then naturally everyone's asking the question, will they. It could be bold to just go and do it right off. Demolish the cliche by appearing to set up a seasons-long question, and then as soon as people recognize the set up - they doink.

One show that I thought broke the stereotype nicely in the opposite way was The X-files. Chris Carter, making no secret about it, said early on and repeatedly that Mulder and Scully would never have sex. But the fans always speculated anyway, so the will they/won't they tension was part of the show without the creators having to be distracted by it or even address it at all. I'm not saying that's right for Ruby and Rick, I just admire how that show handled it.

A broader question might be, does our show depict sex with a 1930s sensibility, or is it set in the 1930s but with a 21st century attitude toward sex? That is to say, nothing goes on now that didn't go on then, even if it wasn't depicted in the movies of the time. Sometimes people just want to "get some" and I'm sure that was just as true then. Is Ruby's the type to unashamedly have some fun casual sex? Is she our bridge from Ingrid Berman in Casablanca to those lunatics from Sex and the City?

Is all that well beyond the scope of anything we need to deal with right now?

I should be sleeping, but I altered Rick's Butt picture instead:

I think I'd like it to be a little more clear that he's holding something over his privates. I think it's somehow sexier if we can tell he's covered from Ruby's point of view.

Nice Ass!

That sketch is hilarious! And hot!

When I first saw it, I enjoyed it just the way it was - but then read your post and agreed with you. I like the idea that the background could be the kitchen and that he should have a gun - as if he were sleeping, then woke up thinking someone was breaking in, then saw it was her. And it would absolutely be like Ruby to let herself into his place.

I think her arm is still too masculine (I know! I'm a pain!) even in silhouette.

And as for sex in the show in general, I love the idea that we play around it - just like this sketch. Like she is always pushing the boundary and he's the one who maintains it. And like anyone who maintains a boundary because he thinks he should, and not because he wants to, he probably fails maintaining it every now and then.

These are my first thoughts on sex in Ruby Rocket.

Rick's Butt

This isn't necessarily what I had in mind when I said I was anxious to see more of Rick.

For me, Ruby Rocket is all about twisting the cliches. The cartoon embraces them, but also turns them upside down. The noir-ish idea I had first was a view of Ruby's (probably) naked silhouette over Rick's shoulder. That's the cliche. I even imagined her holding a gun. Pleasantly cheesey, I thought! But the thing to do was turn that around.

Now I'm disappointed I made the room behind Ruby look like it might be a bedroom. I think it would be better if Ruby was in the kitchen or something, like she had just let herself in while Rick was showering. I'm also wishing I'd put a gun in Rick's hand. I may or may not take the time to make those changes.

Let's talk soon about Ruby and Rick's relationship, and how sex fits into the cartoon.

Recent Sketches

Recently, I've been trying to get comfortable with digital painting. I've been devoting a little "fun sketch time" each day, working directly on the computer.


Though the cartoon will be in color, working in black and white has helped me ease into the digital painting tools. And I think as exercises in tone, these drawings will help me a lot when I'm working in color.

Rick Bellow. He was fun! I'm excited to work with him some more.

About Ruby Rocket

It had been a long night and Ruby Rocket, Private Detective needed a stiff one... Then HE walked in!

DVD cover

Welcome to the Ruby Rocket production blog, intended essentially to be used as a communication tool by the creators. It's also on the web, so maybe you just found it.

Screen shot

Ruby Rocket, Private Detective is the brain child of Stacey Hallal and Sam Niemann who have somehow managed to produce a 3 minute short featuring the hard-boiled, hard drinking, hard-headed character.

We're making more!