>> I can say that, in the great majority of the Chinese faces I see everyday, the upward tilt is hardly noticeable, unless emphasized by makeup (or crow's feet). I tend to associate a strong upward tilt with the 'new' D&D elves more than with Eastern Asian people ;-) <<
When I really took a close look at the photos I was browsing, I noticed that there is a lot of variation. Some of it seems to be individual (I saw one baby picture that I swear looked elven) while some clusters along national/ethnic lines. So there's flexibility.
>> I love the wonder on her face, and the first part of the sketch too,<<
Yay!
>> although in my mind's eye the people in the poems aren't that strongly Japanese (that's a personal thing, though).<<
Actually, I used photos of Japanese people as inspiration for the Origami Mage and photos of Chinese people for the Kirigami Mage. I tend to tag off between those cultures as sources of inspiration, plus occasionally adding bits from Taiwanese, Korean, Tibetan, or other Asian cultures. Of the two, I have a closer connection to Japanese and you have a closer connection to Chinese so it should come close to balancing out, across the series. Ideally I want a fantasy culture and characters that are both unique and cohesive, Asian-inspired without seeming too close to any one source. But it's like making curry, you have to get the temperature right; too low and the flavors won't merge, too high and it cooks down to slush.
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Re: Upward tilt
Date: 2011-04-14 06:18 pm (UTC)I tend to associate a strong upward tilt with the 'new' D&D elves more than with Eastern Asian people ;-) <<
When I really took a close look at the photos I was browsing, I noticed that there is a lot of variation. Some of it seems to be individual (I saw one baby picture that I swear looked elven) while some clusters along national/ethnic lines. So there's flexibility.
>> I love the wonder on her face, and the first part of the sketch too,<<
Yay!
>> although in my mind's eye the people in the poems aren't that strongly Japanese (that's a personal thing, though).<<
Actually, I used photos of Japanese people as inspiration for the Origami Mage and photos of Chinese people for the Kirigami Mage. I tend to tag off between those cultures as sources of inspiration, plus occasionally adding bits from Taiwanese, Korean, Tibetan, or other Asian cultures. Of the two, I have a closer connection to Japanese and you have a closer connection to Chinese so it should come close to balancing out, across the series. Ideally I want a fantasy culture and characters that are both unique and cohesive, Asian-inspired without seeming too close to any one source. But it's like making curry, you have to get the temperature right; too low and the flavors won't merge, too high and it cooks down to slush.