Pretty in Pink (2014)

Entry for Rising-Artists's March Contest: Colors
We have to pick one color and create something on that color. If it isn't obvious, I picked pink.
[edit] Contest results: rising-artists.deviantart.com/… [/edit]

[About the Color Pink]
^{(NOTE: Googled the various meanings below. I don't agree with them all but whatever.}
Pink: (Symbolism & Culture)
Love and romance, caring, tenderness, acceptance and calm

Pink: (Psychology)
Unconditional love, compassion, nurturing, hope

Pink: (Psychology) Effects
Calming, non-threatening, affectionate, caring, immature

Pink: (Psychology) Positives
Unconditional and romantic love, compassion and understanding, nurturing, romance, warmth, hope, calming, sweetness, naiveté, feminine and intuitive energy

Pink: (Psychology) Negatives
Being physically weak, over-emotional and over-cautious, having emotional neediness or unrealistic expectations, being naive, immature and girlish, lack of will power and lack of self worth

Pink: (Psychology) Variations of the Color Pink
Blush: Similar to skin color, this very pale pink has sensual and sexual connotations. It is non-threatening but lacks passion and energy.
Rose Pink: This is the pink of universal love and unity. It is mature, feminine and intuitive.
Salmon Pink: There is a touch of orange in salmon pink. It encourages the flirt, and can be a sign of the timid lover, all talk and no play.
Orchid: This is an unusual lavender-pink and relates to the unconventional and the individual doing his or her own thing. It is the non conformist.
Fuchsia: A blend of deep pink and blue, fuchsia inspires confidence, assurance and maturity, a more responsible and controlled nurturing and love.
Hot Pink: Hot pink inspires a more passionate, playful and sensual love. It exudes warmth and happiness and a love of life.

Pink: (Gemstones)
The color of universal love. Pink is a quiet color. Lovers of beauty favor pink. A pink carnation means "I will never forget you." Pink provides feelings of caring, tenderness, self-worth and love, acceptance. Put some pink in your life when you want calm feelings, neutralize disorder, relaxation, acceptance, contentment. Pink gemstones can be used to promote love, self-worth, order and protection from violence or aggression. Carry or place pink gemstones around your home or office to stimulate love and beauty. Wear pink when you want to present yourself as a peaceful, calm person who is not threatening. The softer shades are very feminine and darker shades will alleviate feelings of friction.

Pink: (Historically)
Since pink was a stronger color it was best suited for boys. (Too lazy to copy & paste more. Visit the link if you're interested.)

Pink: (Various stuff that pink probably makes us think of)
Barbie dolls and toys aimed at girls, breast cancer awareness, Pepto-Bismo, PINK (Victoria's Secret), P!nk, Pink Floyd, Pink Panther, that Simpson ep where Homer wore a pink shirt, the Love Me uniforms in Skip Beat! (manga), flowers/gifts and certain holidays, sweets/sugar/cupcakes

[About the Artwork & Idea]
My goal was to use a color that did not have any opposite meanings or inconsistency among different cultures. That color would have been a great challenge to work with and something unexpected. But right when I thought I found one (pink), I ended up finding negative meanings associated with it. -_- However, since I wasn't aware of those meanings nor did I come across any cultural differences, I decided to work with it.

Barbie dolls and insecure girls immediately popped in mind. >_<

Many years ago, I read something about how if Barbie's proportions were emulated IRL, she would be very ill. (Honestly, I haven't examined a Barbie since I stored them away. So I could be wrong about the body image they give young girls nowadays.) In more recent time, I've seen articles and pictures of folks actually trying to be a living Barbie doll. o_O

That is just sick.

...And yet it fits so perfectly with my goal. >_<

Here, my "Barbie" is deluded into thinking she's empowered when she really isn't. (This is debatable depending on how you view this. But to me, I see endless insecurities.) Just to be clear, here's what's the stuff is suppose to be.
The room: P!nk poster on the wall, 3 lights at the top, mirror/table/whatever that has heart decals
The chick: Lipstick in her hand, bra with fake inserts (or heavily padded), corset, shapewear with butt padding, high heels
The table: 2 wigs, 6 nail polishes, a pack of fake nails, foundation, eyeshadow, blush, barbie doll, makeup brush, a pack of eyelash falsies, eyelash curler, a beauty/fashion magazine, a slightly opened drawer (contents unknown), and her dress to wear (next to table)

[About the Process]
The color pink should also mean frustrating. And insanity. Seriously. I don't hate the color pink, but damn was this torture to work on. I don't think I felt any of the feelings/effects listed above. Even now when I look at the image to write this long description up (sorry for the length...), I immediately want to look away. >_< But I shouldn't...

Because this isn't even done. *sweatdrop* I'm just sick of forcing myself to work on it. Anyway, the chick isn't suppose to be bald, but I'm not motivated to add unhealthy looking hair as well as other sickly-looking features. Also, the perspective is off. I know why, but when I tried fixing it, it looked even more off. (Gonna assume it's an issue of failing to accurately depict depth via foreshortening.)



Anyway, thanks for looking. ^^ (And reading if you read all that text. @_@ )

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Tumblr Link: meekochan-art.tumblr.com/post/…

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Sketch: meekochan.deviantart.com/art/W…

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Date: March 2014
Done in Sketchbook Pro 2011 SP4 and ArtRage 2.6 using Wacom Intuos3 tablet. Border faded in Paint Shop Pro 8.
References used: Images of P!nk for the posters.
Time taken: 3.5 hours.

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