“Callous Until Bared” Concepts
Character designs for an alien speculative world with Wild West aesthetics.
1 and 3: These creatures bare their chests in an attempt to show masculine assertion, as they are symbolic for social constraints of cowboy hypermasculinity. However, their front of hypermasculity is undermined by their thin legs and their ungainly arms. This design choice is meant to show that they’re not suited for this life of violence, and that they only adhere to an arbitrary social norm.
2: The steeds of the cowboys. Their designs highlight their musculature, as they are the extensions of the cowboys’ hypermasculinity.
4: These are “fallen” cowboys, ones that couldn’t suppress their inner emotionality and became completely unveiled. Their designs appear feminine so that the viewer perceives them as vulnerable in contrast to the cowboys. They are also made up of a delicate mycelium-like material which further depicts them as vulnerable.
To view the complete graphic novel for this project, visit the Callous Until Bared tab under the Comics gallery.