Ruby Yang

My series explores how one's public image can warp an individual's self-esteem and identity. The series follows three characters, each dealing with different types of societal pressures. The collie experiences pressure from only being seen as a winner, or at the top; they are defined by their accomplishments and are expected to maintain high standards. This interferes with their self identity as they are unable to explore what truly makes them happy and the expectation of perfection weighs on them. The bulldog is similar; they are held back by society's stereotypical gender ideals, and feel forced to present masculinity. The last character is a beagle who faces the issue of low self-esteem, and struggles to overcome it as they constantly put others on a pedestal and often compare themself to those who are deemed as ¨successful¨. I choose to portray the characters as dogs to make the works more enjoyable. By having animals in place of people it allows the viewer to relate while still having a level of personal distance.

At first, I wanted the dogs to stand out visually from the backgrounds by using hard lines and sharp value contrast, but as the series progressed and the theme changed I wanted to explore a soft, children's book style. Character designs also changed as I wanted them to be visually enmeshed in the scene itself, with less contrast between the characters and their background, especially since colors and lighting in the background became big indicators of mood. My focus shifted away from making the characters represent something and instead, I wanted to show their experiences and potential growth.