Rancid Milk

Women And Art.

[[I was going to wait to post this but since I likely won’t be posting for the next few days from school work I’m going to be posting it today… there are still so many more names I need to add but all in due time.]]

So, by browsing through the internet and talking to fellow female artists I’ve seen and heard a lot about bias and sexism within the art community, between some males (and even females) against female artists. It seems to be that there’s this stereotype that men are better artists (technically and stylistically), that women only make “cutesy” kitsch art, or only make anime/manga-inspired works…

There’s also been a bit of unrest with females as consumers within the comic industry with the DC reboots and what many are saying are questionable redesigns and presentations of female characters. I’ve also seen complaints that there aren’t enough females involved in comic books. In response I’ve seen people lashing back saying that it’s female’s own fault for either not being “good” writers and/or artists, or not being involved.

Well, without pointing names and going on forever women have never exactly been the target audience for comics. In the 1930s children were the target audience, much later they wanted to reach an older audience, and still mostly male. American society has had expectations of what girls and women should and shouldn’t do, and so from the beginning women weren’t as involved as men. Women have been more and more involved as both creators and consumers in the industry. It has been a slow integration. Societal norms are to blame firstly, but that’s moving behind us. Secondly, sexist generalizations will only push females away from the industry and head involvement. Thirdly, ladies, we need to support female creators.

Women do make art, they do make comics. They’re more difficult to find because a) it’s still a male dominated industry and b) this is consumerism, if you don’t buy work produced by females less work will probably be published and put out by female creators and c) if you keep supporting comics and publishers that you have qualms with by purchasing comics that piss you off they’re only going to put out more comics that piss you off because hey, that’s what’s sellin’. Publishers are businesses, and businesses are all about the money.

Women are equally talented, versatile and diverse creators that make just as much quality work as men. Sometimes their work is difficult to find. I’m going to compile a big old list of some talented female artists. Share it. Message me or reblog the list with a name and example work and I’ll add to it. I’m interested in well-known names to indie names and the like, so don’t be shy.

- Rancid Milk

Highlighted names goto wikipedia pages. Other links goto blogs, portfolios and/or pieces of works they either contributed to or were independent projects.

Although this project started out to be aimed toward comics, I’ve decided it’s best to proove a point with diverse information of women and their involvement in art. Again, if you see anything you find relevant and would like to see it on the list please do send me an ask or reblog it with the comment (I’d prefer the former, because it’s personally more convenient).

WEB/COMICBOOK ARTISTS

Left to right: Kate McElroy; Fiona Staples; Jen Wang

Madeleine Flores: Blog | Webcomic | Portfolio | Published Work
Kate McElroy: Blogspot | Butterflies Everywhere & Adrift | #100 of Fables
Fiona Staples: Blogspot | What she’s wroked on
Rebecca Guay: Portfolio
Linda Medley
Joanne Matte: Deviantart | Published Work
Jan Duursema: Portfolio
Nina Matsumoto: Deviantart
Johane Matte: Published Work | Deviantart
jan Duursema: Portfolio
Fiona Staples: Blogspot
Claire Wendling: Portfolio
Pia Guerra: Blogspot | Portfolio
Alison Bechdel: Portfolio
Jessical Abel: Portfolio
Sara Pichelli: Blogspot
Becky Cloonan: Blogspot/Portfolio
Kate Beaton: Webcomic
Tove Jansson: Portfolio
Colleen Doran: Portoflio
Nicola Scott: Published Work
Vera Brosgol: Portfolio
Jen Wang: Portfolio | Published Work
Wendy Pini
Lela Dowling: Portfolio
Amanda Conner: Published Work
Gail Simone: Blog
Emily Warren
Christina Strain: Portfolio
Jill Thompson
Melinda Gebbie
Jen Van Meter: Portfolio
Katie Cook: Portfolio/Blog
Sarah Glidden: Portfolio
Lucy Knisley: Portfolio
Raina Telgmeier: Portfolio
Colleen Coover: Portfolio
Linda Medley
Hope Larson: Portfolio
Rebecca Hahn: Portfolio
DeAnne Millais: Blog
Tarra Abbamondi: Blog | Store/Works
Rebecca Buchman: Deviantart | Linkedin
June Brigman: Portfolio
Ariel Schrag: Portfolio
Hellen Jo: Portfolio | Jin & Jam Comic
Ming Doyle: Portfolio
E.K. Weaver: Webcomic
Carol M. Burrell: Portfolio

ILLUSTRATION/FINEARTS ARTISTS

Left to Right: Kate MacDowell; Nomi Chi; Allison Bamford

Nomi Chi: Portfolio | Blogspot
Alyssa Monks: Portfolio
Kate MacDowell: Portfolio
Allison Bamford: Blogspot
Ruth Sanderson: Portfolio
Sheila Rayyan: Portfolio
Georgia O‘Keeffe
Veronique Meignaud: Portfolio
Ericka Lugo: Portfolio

ANIMATION

OLD MASTERS

Left to Right: Artemisia gentileschi; Lavinia Fontana; Judith Leyster

Here I would just like to add that at my own school we had a requirement of four (total: 12 credits) art history classes and female artists were completely neglected or mentioned, and weren’t “important” enough to be on a test. I think this neglect lends itself to be (apart of) the root of misconceptions that women didn’t make art or only made “bad” art. Historically speaking, they weren’t allowed to become artists, and when they were allowed in art schools they were taught separately, not allowed to draw/paint nudes. Instead their models were cows and still lifes. This is why much of their works are still lives and self-portraits. They were also rarely if ever commissioned for works due to their sex. In latter, higher level classes women are brought up more often, but still briefly and with little emphasis…these classes are often History of Illustration classes, where there are more female artists learning and working, but obviously this neglect in most art colleges and universities sets up an ignorant view of women as artists in history, and (slightly less so) today.

ARTICLES, BLOGS AND DISCUSSION WITH RELATED TOPICS

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