Jenny Everywhere: The Open Source Character

A version of Jenny as designed by Diana Nock.

Have you heard of Jenny Everywhere, aka "The Shifter"?

In 2001, a group of artists got together to specifically design a character that could be used by anyone, with license or royalty fees. A truly open-source character.

Jenny Everywhere has been described both as existing in every reality and being able to shift between realities. This gives the character the ability to be inserted into the continuity of any existing or new work, such as various comics, fiction, or even live action.

Though the character of Jenny Everywhere is vague enough to allow for many different interpretations, there are a few things that define who she is. Do all these signifiers need to be represented? Absolutely not. But the fewer that you use, the less likely that your character will be recognized as Jenny Everywhere.

She has short, dark hair. She usually wears aviation goggles on top of her head and a scarf around her neck. Otherwise, she dresses in comfortable clothes. She is average size and has a good body image. She has loads of confidence and charisma. She appears to be Asian or Native American. She has a ready smile.

There have been hundreds of interpretations of the character, in many styles. You can read almost all available materials of and about her and her adventures at The Shifter Archive.

You can also create your own Jenny Everywhere character or story if:

The character of Jenny Everywhere is available for use by anyone, with only one condition. This paragraph must be included in any publication involving Jenny Everywhere, in order that others may use this property as they wish. All rights reversed.

The Giver

An all new blog post about the children's opera production of The Giver, available here on my blog!

-Maria

Night at the Opera: Madame Butterfly Part #2

Now available over here at my blog!

-Maria

THIS WEEK. (this. week.) AT THE GERBILDOME. (gerbildome. gerbildome)

GET READY FOR FIVE! (five!) WHOLE! (wow!) DAYS of BONE CRUNCHING OPERA ACTIONTAINMENT

ba-dow ba-dow VROOOM

monster truck noises

FIVE DAYS.

FIVE COMIC STRIP PAGES.

MADAME. BUTTERFLY.

BE THERE.


* Actual opera comics may not resemble wrestling event as described. Side effects may vary.

Night at the Opera: Madame Butterfly

I've started my Madame Butterfly post over here:
Gypsy-Maria's Art Blog
More pictures to come!

This time On Time, Abby's Madame Butterfly post!

Madame Butterfly was a lot easier for me to draw because I didn't have to spend a lot of time picking apart the costumes, they were all really traditional Japanese, stuff that I'm familiar with and know how to draw. So I was excited to draw this. To Teri's consternation, I sassed the conductor, telling him I was worried the play would be racist. He said no it wasn't and I sassed him some more, saying I'd draw a comic if it was.... and it turns out it wasn't! There was nothing for me to draw a comic of.

He was right, Puccini clearly did a lot of research, his treatment of Japanese culture and culture clash is respectful of both sides. He used Japanese music, even some songs that are still familiar to the ear to this day. There are even some Japanese words in the opera that I managed to pick out! It's pretty amazing.

On the more current side of things, The set designers and costume designers also did an amazing job of indicating character thru clothing. It's a great and beautiful opera that is amazingly put together through the Minnesota Opera. Even if you can't afford a ticket full price, check out the rush line because it's definitely worth it.



This time around I used greyscale markers to draw, trying to capture the symbolism and clothing designs inherent in a lot of the visuals. The images at the top were the ones I am the most proud of, the first being an illustration of what Cio-Cio san would look like at her true age of 15, the second being my last drawing of a butterfly flying out of her empty wedding dress.

I've seen a lot of tragedies here, I'd like to see some comedies sometime.... Maybe next year.

The latest of the late: Abby's Lucia De Lammermoor Writeup

Lucia De Lammermoor was an opera I was only familiar with through The Fifth Element, where an alien Diva sings Lucia's last solo and then moves into a weird futuristic beatbox version.

Knowing the words that she was singing made things a lot more interesting! The Minnesota Opera production was incredibly well-choreographed and the set design was amazing. The use of light and shadow, and especially color made the show amazing to see.

My favorite scene was of course Lucia's "Mad Scene" which was the song sung in Fifth Element. Lucia is singing about her beloved, her clothes covered in blood from murdering the man she was forced to marry. She talks of the bloodstains as if they were roses, and that's what caused me to do my favorite sketch, this last one.

The next Opera is tonight's Madame Butterfly, and I'll upload my sketches in enough time for our readers to decide to buy a ticket and see it this time!!!

---Abby