Equals Masturbation

I was once asked to choose between good sex with an average emotional connection and really, really bad sex with a fantastic emotional connection. I chose the former because I believe that bad sex eventually leads to a bad emotional connection. Bad sex for a female probably doesn’t mean the same thing for men who typically do not have to worry as much about being raped (although there are numerous male victims of assault, but generally speaking…)

If you ask someone this question, and s/he goes with the second choice…RUN. Most likely, this person is either terrible in bed, asexual, or simply has no clue as to how to define “bad sex.”

Anyway, I decided to satirize this question, purposed to reveal individual values pertaining to relationships. Sometimes, you’re better off going solo.

Seattle Erotic Art Festival

Today I received an email notifying me that my art work was accepted into the 10th Annual Seattle Erotic Art Festival (Here). Although my work has been featured in various exhibitions, this festival is a big breakthrough for me and is the most prestigious exhibition I have ever been accepted into. Below are a few images of the type of work I made throughout last year. You can find the entire series on my other websites: Spotted Beast Studios or Tiffany L. Pascal Art

I hope this show will assist me in receiving more attention as well as future opportunities to exhibit my work.

Oh, and by the way, my 2011 Feminizing the Binary series is comprised of hyenas. If you want to know why (other than the fact that hyenas are awesome), read my Artist’s Statement

Summer Love (Between Hyenas)

This image is one of the few that depict Charlie initiating something physically romantic. Usually Fida is the active partner and perhaps is too much for Charlie from time to time.

As a digital work, this one is my strongest so far.

Fuck the Laws of Nature: Hyenas can Skateboard!

Until summer, I plan to make illustrations of Hyena Fida and friends (oooh, that sounded cheesy). Currently, I don’t have time to make hyena comics as they require lots of time not only to execute but to brainstorm as well. Lately, I just don’t have very many ideas. I guess I need another crappy relationship.

Hyenas Sleeping in the Shade

Cheesy as this image is, it’s really an experiment with masks and patterns in Photoshop.

The Hyena Queen’s Boyfriend

I’ve been doing “artwork” for HyenaZine as opposed to finished comics lately. I realize that making cover pages and offical art for the series is important for advertising and promotion. Plus, it’s fun.

Check out my DeviantArt page:
Loto the Trickster’s Page

Digital Fida

I haven’t been working on Fida comics lately as I have other pursuits currently. However, as of late, I’ve found myself playing around with vectors and digital art. Fida was originally a vector-based character in Flash; then I translated her into a watercolor and graphite comic; now I’m attempting to create some attractive digital imagery with Fida.

Hand Rape

This comic is based on a true story. Although I currently look back on this event with a blend of humor and nostalgia, at the time it had occurred, I was pretty upset. After all, it hurts when someone lets you hold his/her hand but cops out later when you want to involve those terrible things called emotions.

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When Birds Begin to Follow Your Dick Around: Sexual Frustration

I made this comic a little while ago, and it appears in my first Hyena Fida book. It is based on a conversation I had with a close friend who insisted in being in control over his emotions (though a person who always wants to be in control is driven by fear to a degree). Although I respect his beliefs and understand that they should not be taken too literally (he was referring more to carelessly acting on emotions), I am in this context poking fun of him and his philosophically-obsessed friend. I find philosophy to be an interesting subject on occasion but its detachment from reality cannot be ignored.

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Xeric Foundation Grant

Ugh! I’ve been having a hard time finding time to make two comic series at once, so, after 2.5 years, Fida might be taking a break for a month or two. In the meantime, I’m working on a grant application to the Xeric Foundation, which specializes in funding comic book artists in the publication process. Choosing which comic series to submit is not as hard as a decision as I thought it would be. Unfortunately, I won’t be submitting Hyena Fida.

Hyena Fida Pros:
-Popular
-Cutesy, attractive style
-Broad age range
-“Alternative” Market (fans of Top Shelf, Drawn & Quarterly, and zines)
-Short and sweet

Hyena Fida Cons:
-Full Color (expensive for printing)
-Outside of the mainstream (most of the comic audience is male, and this series appeals more to females)
-No broad story-arch
-Animal characters read as childish rather than “adultish”

Femme Schism Pros:
-Black and White
-Marketable to a broad audience
-Long, continuous story-arch
-Appealing style
-Quick production
-Human characters (though there are exceptions, series with human characters tend to be more popular than series with animal characters)

Femme Schism Cons:
-Stylistically simplistic
-Minority characters (Loto is indigenous)
-No traditionally heroic male protagonist (Haydn is small and skinny)
-New to the public

I wouldn’t necessarily perceive all the “cons” negatively, but from a pragmatic standpoint, they can certainly limit the marketability of the series. The comic book world is one of recycling old, wasted ideas over and over again. The comic books we remember, however, are the ones that are original (Maus, Persepolis, Bloodsong etc.)