A recent discussion with Al ( leonkatlovre) brought up an interesting exchange of words regarding my primary character Sarah. It occurred to me that her behavior and choice of attire would, in real life, be considered outlandish, slutty, illegal in some cases and earn her the label "whore." Yet, those who view my art and read the artist commentary enough to get an idea of her personality don't believe she is any of the above. It's a curious thing to me, and I believe I may have figured it out.

For one, the major reason is the nullification of how taboo sexuality is when it comes to artworks in Furry genre. This is probably the most prevalent, outstanding reason and is my main justification for portraying her the way I do. However, I've discovered secondary and tertiary reasons behind her charisma, charm and lovable nature with my audience.

You ask pretty much any one out there in the Fandom who knows Sarah's personality if she is a whore, and they will answer with a pretty emphatic "no." It took me a while to understand how this seemingly conflicting point of view could be justified given her extremely promiscuous behavior. I realized it wasn't promiscuous at all--it's more along the lines of an open display of trust for most every individual she comes across. And the distinction Al made is that she has a very wild and fun-loving personality, yet maintains an aire of elegance about her. It's absolutely true. She doesn't go around whoring herself out engaging in sex acts every opportunity available. She instead goes for a more "look-but-don't-touch" kind of approach. Then I digressed into a deeper analysis of what exactly her behavior truly is if it's not promiscuous.

My understanding of how she acts, especially in public, is at all an attempt at using sexuality to be manipulative; rather, it is instead being as close to totally carefree as one can get. Even though she really doesn't pay attention to the opinions of others, she is so comfortable with herself and with others around her she feels it is acceptable to openly display a bit more intimate part of herself than people normally would. Quite obviously this would not work in the real-world. But to be honest, it seems almost an avenue for her to feel empowered and self-confident. She is, in and of herself, a display of true confidence and being at one with womanhood and femininity. She does not use her femininity to lure, deceive and manipulate. Instead, she uses it to promote self-worth and liberation for women. She uses it to touch other people's lives in one way or another. And that's exactly how most people out there understand it. Don't get me wrong, there are still a few who view her as a sex-fiend, a whore and a slut. But by far the vast majority embrace her as an icon--a representation of what the world could be like if people could set aside differences and gain one another's trust.

One thing many people have asked me time and again is "Why the excessive use of that one position where her legs are pulled about as far back to her chest as humanly possible?" I finally have an answer to that: Back pain. Laying that way offers a degree of relief from pain due to mild scoliosis. She doesn't mean for it to be anything highly sexual, it just happens that way due to her constant lack of underwear.


Feel free to add in any comments about her design. Is it good? Bad? Sexy? Too simple? Too bland? Not vibrant enough? I don't have much to say in regards to this subject, other than she is meant to be easy to color and shade. As for my own personal style when I render her, I try to incorporate as much realism in the body while maintain as much stylization in the head and facial design. I do this for every character I render, though.