Symbols catalogue project - Controversial symbols and acceptability.
Terraformer_Author
Newcomer
Ok - I was doing some research on Midieval crops, and exactly WHAT people grew, ate, and used back then - so that I could draw my little fruits and veggies symbols - and I came to a stark realization. Way back when, generally shortly AFTER the rennescance - farmers grew HEMP!
Chiefly it was grown to make rope, clothing, and even paper and adhesives! Occasionally it was used as a medicinal additive to some teas - but RARELY. Question, would a hemp symbol (i.e., a "pot" leaf type of icon representing a hemp crop) be unexceptable from a broad appeal / marketing / consumer perspective - even if it is to represent a crop grown for reasons other than narcotic, say - to make rope and twine? So far I have a lot of symbols covering a lot of different crops, and I'm tempted to draw up a hemp icon, but sadly, unless folks knew the use and historical connotation and functional context - it would be innappropriate. Any opinions? Could I substitute a leaf symbol for - say a bundle of twine to represent a hemp crop - or should I just ditch the notion entirely?
I have been very careful to edit and modify the catalogue (which is now over 500 symbols) to be as "clean cut" - and as "across the board" as possible. Some of the symbols representing female characters (monsters / creatures / etc.) that I took from my stock notebook of past clip art that I've done (some I did YEARS ago) - I've edited to reduce artistic nudity (TASTEFUL artistic nudity) to "extremely conservatively modest" standards - as to be careful not to cause the more prudish of audiences to nervously blush - carefully concealing or eliminating the more "controversial" elements of the female physique. I care about the qaulity of the work - and I want to create a good, general appeal product. Input and suggested guidlines are welcome.
Chiefly it was grown to make rope, clothing, and even paper and adhesives! Occasionally it was used as a medicinal additive to some teas - but RARELY. Question, would a hemp symbol (i.e., a "pot" leaf type of icon representing a hemp crop) be unexceptable from a broad appeal / marketing / consumer perspective - even if it is to represent a crop grown for reasons other than narcotic, say - to make rope and twine? So far I have a lot of symbols covering a lot of different crops, and I'm tempted to draw up a hemp icon, but sadly, unless folks knew the use and historical connotation and functional context - it would be innappropriate. Any opinions? Could I substitute a leaf symbol for - say a bundle of twine to represent a hemp crop - or should I just ditch the notion entirely?
I have been very careful to edit and modify the catalogue (which is now over 500 symbols) to be as "clean cut" - and as "across the board" as possible. Some of the symbols representing female characters (monsters / creatures / etc.) that I took from my stock notebook of past clip art that I've done (some I did YEARS ago) - I've edited to reduce artistic nudity (TASTEFUL artistic nudity) to "extremely conservatively modest" standards - as to be careful not to cause the more prudish of audiences to nervously blush - carefully concealing or eliminating the more "controversial" elements of the female physique. I care about the qaulity of the work - and I want to create a good, general appeal product. Input and suggested guidlines are welcome.
Comments
On the subject of fairly common but largely unfamiliar-looking fiber crops, don't forget jute, flax, sisal, and manila hemp as well. Most folks are familiar with cotton and sheep.
Here's the list of already drawn Crop icons so far:
Apples, red
Apples, crab
Apples, golden
Apples, green
Apples, poison
Apples, yellow
Avocados
Bananas, yellow
Bananas, red
Barley,
Beets,
Bell Peppers,
Blackberries,
Blueberries,
Cabbage,
Cantelope,
Carrots,
Cherries,red
Cherries,black
Coconuts,
"Indian" Corn,
"Yellow" Corn,
"White" Corn,
Cotton,
Dates,
Grapefruit,
Grapes,
Grapes, red
Grapes, white
Lemons,
Limes,
Lumber,
Mandrake,
Mangos,
Mushrooms,
Mushrooms, poison
Oats,
Olives,
Olives, black
Onions,
Onions, sweet
Oranges,
Papyrus,
Peaches,
Pears,
Peas,
Peppers,
Pineapples,
Potatoes,
Pumpkins,
Radishes,
Rasberries,
Rice,
Rye,
Sqaush,
Strawberries,
Sugarcane,
Turnips,
Walnuts,
Watermelon,
Wheat,
Yams.
I didn't do Tomatoes because back then folks thought that they were poisonous and didn't touch'em (unless I'm wrong, lol). Jute, Flax, Sisel, and Manila I am now going to research so that I can hopefully draw them? Any other ideas are welcome.
As for the rest, well, if I wrote what I think I'd probably violate the posting guidelines. :-)
Ok gak - THAT'S IT - I'M DRAWIN ' A "MATER", lol
Note: "Mater" is "Hillbilly" for "Tomato",lol.
Also to Mr. Slayton - I have just drawn the items that you suggested - CHA'CHING!!! Thank you for those suggestions sir!
Note: "Sisal" seems to be a dwarf palm plant of some sort - and "Manila Hemp", otherwise known as "Abaca", resembles a banana tree to some extent. Interesting...
Having said that, I suspect that a 'classic' 5 pointed leaf pot plant would destroy the mood, so I'd suggest using a rope with bushy plant in front of it or something.
You might also think about putting the leaf symbol up separately as a 'freebie' in a clearly-marked separate section. It might have a following all its own and help your marketing efforts
Steve
I agree my friend. jslayton gave me a few excellent alternatives to the traditional "hemp" plant however - in order to satisfy the needs of the denizens of whatever "Middle Earthian" world one may be involved with, to make their ropes, and cables, and canvas / burlap, and twine and such with.
I have thusly created icons for the fiber plants Flax, Sisal, Jute, and Abaca Manila ("Manila Hemp" - a plant that is actually a ground tree with wide tropical palm like leaves as opposed to the familiar "Mary Jane" leaf that we all hate to love - or love to hate - or hate to hate - or love to love - or whatever).
It would be nice if I could do a traditional hemp plant, but alas - it is not 1975 anymore, and the new gods of psuedo-Orwellian social responsibility, political correctness, and institutional obedience would likely cast me out into the abyss of the land of "Ooooooh - that guys yucky and wrong!!!" - If I were to dare to be an iconoclast and an apostate against the carefully hammered and chiselled ordinances of the latest, freshly updated every five seconds, "dos and don'ts" list of what's in - and what's out, and DARE to do something that thirty five years ago would have been hip, trendy, and awsomely bodacious, lol
The one thing that I really regret - but that in all practicality, candor, and prudence really has to be done for the sake of wider demographic useability - is to censor my depictions of the glorious and delicious female physique. To put it blunty - In order to make my mermaids, and harpies, and lamias, and nymphs, and fairys, and dryads, and nagas, and other "gynocentric" / "semi-feminoid" images more palatable for everybody - I can't draw fully detailed "boobies",lol
One of my favorite monster artists - David Sutherland III, used to do some voluntary censoring for the stuff that he drew for the Monster Manuals - which is why the Succubus sketch in the old TSR Monster Manual 1 (One of my favorite Sutherland drawings by the way, for obvious male chauvanist pig reasons, lol) - had no "boobie buttons" - i.e. - "fun dials", - i.e. - "whoopie pimples" - i.e. - "nippy pips", lol. You can pretty much tell that Sutherland (wisely perhaps) either edited his own work in MM1 - or painfully prevented himself from fully following his muse, holding back his pen - like an opera singer tearfully resisting the creative impulse to hit that one glass shattering tone. Dave - rest in peace bro - R.I.P...
Oh well - the whole thing is pretty much give and take anyway. NO - I really can't permit myself to draw a pot leaf, and no - my mermaids can't have nipples, lol - but I CAN still accomplish a lot anyway I guess, lol.
A witty reprisal Mr. Slayton!!! Essentially however - you are correct sir! Lol...Ironically there's a lot that you can do with crustacean based swimwear artistically - I don't think that that area's been adeqautely explored to tell you the truth, lol.
Note: another correction: A clam is a "Bivalve", not a "Crustacean"...Hey - how about a corset made from lobster shells, or maybe some jelly fish lingerie? Lol.
Suddenly I have an odd urge to burst out in song with a rousing rendition of "Under The Sea" - my apologies to the Disney folks, lol.
Behold - the nippleless mermaid,lol.