I regularly visit a blog called ‘Whitechapel‘ which is a forum for Artists to flex their creative muscles and take on challenges, showcase their latest work and generally feedback on others. The website runs a weekl/bi-monthly challenge called ‘Remake/Remodel’ which basically picks up an old, outdated and forgotten comic characters and folk-lore creatures and invites artists to reinvent these characters – albeit meeting a few pre-set criteria.
This weeks challnege is based on a Character called Jenny Greenteeth:
It’s not all euphemistic smut-adventurers and bee-fancying spandexers on Whitechapel, oh no. You’ll recall I launched my stewardship here with a chance to reinvent the Egyptian War-Goddess Sekhmet – as a pissheaded psychopath, naturally – and verily It Was Good. So. Let’s try some more of that sort of thing. ”Jenny Greenteeth is a figure in English folklore. A river hag, she would pull children or the elderly into the water and drown them. She was often described as green-skinned, with long hair, and sharp teeth. She is likely to have been an invention to frighten children from dangerous waters similar to the Slavic Rusalka, the Kappa in Japanese mythology, or Australia’s Bunyip, but other folklorists have seen her as a memory of sacrificial practices.” So: an aquatic psycho-slag to frighten kiddies, drown geriatrics and delight RPG players the world over. But hark! This is Remake/Remodel! This isn’t just a chance for you to get your Creep On and draw an old faerie gribblie, oh-ho-no. You will update. You will recontextualise. You will use your tasty brainbits as well as your scribbledy pens of power. Bethunk as follows: how does a slime-titted water-devil fit into whatever passes for contemporary folklore? Is she the same old hag of yesteryear, now living a 21st century life? Is she keeping herself to herself, or using her unique skills (of, um, drowning children) to get by? Has she found a new niche, as a Modern Monster? Maybe you fancy spandexizing the poor fiend and turning her into a heroine or villainess. Maybe “Jenny Greenteeth” is a tabloid nickname for a murderer, or a filename for a sentient techbug, or an experimental superweapon, or whatthefuckever. Be Thou Interesting.
Normally I wouldn’t repost from another blog, but this particular challenge has already seen some fantastic creations come forward.
I love seeing other artists work and these have really inspired me. If only I had more time to try my hand at it too…
