| Everything you ever wanted to know about Jenni, but didn't think to ask... | |
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Sk8r Grrls Character Profiles by Edeyn Hannah Blackeney Jenni Orliss (Art by Heather Rose Brown) |
Jenni Orliss, the shorter and goobier of the two blondes, and the most laid back Sk8r Grrl, is based a lot more on certain real-life people than some of the others.
Some basic facts about her:
- Her family is one of those "wrong side of the tracks" families that everyone in town likes ANYWAY. They're just a bunch of sweet and nice folks.
- She takes martial arts classes.
- She is the most likely to try to cheer someone up by clowning around, or maybe even a practical joke.
- Medium, lean build, and exceptionally fast reflexes to go along with better balance than anyone else but Mary.
- Has a personal style that's loose and free-flowing natural fibers. Not because she's a hippie-type, but because she values the freedom of movement.
- Is the most daring on a board of any of the Sk8r Grrls, and the most prone to injury because of it.
Now, Heather Rose Brown and I discussed the look of all the characters, and I admit at first I didn't like her take on Jenni. But with just the first revision, I realized that she knew art better than me. Heh. Here are the sketches that she gave me of Miss Orliss as the conversations progressed:
First Rough Sketch:
Okay, so I could see Jenni clowning like this, but she just... didn't look right. I almost told her to scrap it and try something else, but instead pointed out some things that didn't work for me, like the blonde afro and such. Though she did get the wardrobe dead on.
Second Iteration Sketch:
With the addition of the curls, it looked so much better! Unruly hair instead of an afro, but there was something wrong with the face... oh! She looked too pudgy. Martial artists aren't pudgy (despite what Chris Farley would have you believe)!
Third Iteration Sketch:
Alright! She took away the chubby cheeks, and even gave her head a slight rotation so that it looks like she's working to pull off the balanced board. The slight droop to one eyelid suggests she just finished winking, instead of being cross-eyed, which also was inspired and way better.
Final Sketch:
Final revision, with the bench finally fleshed out and giving more of a feeling of spur of the moment to her antics. Rather like she just leapt upon the bench and began acting out to get a giggle from whoever her target may be.
So this is just a basic profile on Jenni Orliss, more to come on her and both basic and more coming for the other Sk8r Grrls!
