Estelle studying for Le Bac

Hi there folks!
This is the last drawing I've posted on dA this month, just out of nostalgia, and because a dear frend of mine wanted to see it....but after this, my dA page will be in hiatus. The why it's not important, let's say I'm lacking of time and I just can take care of one place, and I've chose this one :)
Oh ok ok...the why it's HERE....but don't worry, I'm not going to talk about that again. I just said that once, and I don't think it's worthy to repeat the same thing. Also because talking about that it's bad for my spirit, it makes me feel exhausted.
Leaving my dA in hiatus, it's one of the hardest things I've ever done...because that comunity always was my home...but don't worry, it will not be forever I think. I think I will come back there in one or two years more of course, when the crazy people have been gone XD

What I do would like to do, it's to post the traditional "drawing + quote". And luckily after this one I'll not post more quotes because all my artwork will be here :D So I hope you like! 
This is the ORIGINAL LINK

Estelle studying for Le Bac

"Today I've struggled to give myself a little time for drawing or coming here to post fun stuff. Even, I was planning to make a journal to comment about my first 2 weeks of school after the holiday vacations I had (2 weeks before these 2 weeks XD) but ah...I have no motivation to write about that  XD

 It's because, in total honesty....I was feeling really lonely a while ago!  Maybe it's because since I've started to collegue people no longer visits this gallery or send me messages here, or in any other place either.

For example today I came here a while ago to see what was new, to the only place I consider home, hoping to have a fun moment. And you know I was expecting to find messages from my friends, at least one! but all what I found was that most of my friends had done collabs and art trades with other friends of them, and have been having fun giving commenting on each other's art and making giftart to each other, and meanwhile nobody messaged me to even said "hi how you're doing?" and my gallery looks like a desert! o_O It looked like nobody cared even if I was alive or if I already have been crushed by a truck XD

Even some days ago I posted a journal here sharing I worried I might have been lack my skills to draw facial expressions/gesture language, but no artist took a moment to talk about their experiences or if that ever happened to them as I would have wished to...

And that's I felt really bad for a moment, cos I started to wonder if I was doing something wrong...or if there is something I should be doing but I didn't...and maybe that was why I couldn't make my friends feel appreciated and loved and that was why they didn't care about me, even if I always care and think about them...

Anyways, that was some hours ago though, cos recently I received a message of a dear friend of mine and changed it all! :D

Now I feel very happy and amazed cos she visited me to say hi! Specially taking in count I'm usually the one who send her messages first, and this time she did it first! That was such a nice surprise and it really warms up my heart and makes me feel like a vaulable person!!! ^__^ NAKOU MERCIII!!

Ah by the way, she's the only and one Nakou! Please don't use her name. Saying this cos I just saw a drawing on her gallery saying this. *chuckles* I love looking at her gallery because her drawings are fun and make me happy ^^ specially when I'm feeling a bit sad.

You know, I've missed her a lot! As well as a few of other friends I have here, of course. And sometimes I feel bad when school absorbs too much of my time and I cannot come to drop my friends a message as often as I would like! But well...I struggle to have free time to come like now for example, and I feel happy knowing that she and other dear friend of mine who sent me a message, still think about me, that's priceless I think! Also I know my Mentor and dear friend Jame always thinks of me even if she's busy and can't leave a message sometimes.  So I think I'm in a better mood to post something, I have lots of drawings I haven't posted yet, I think today I'll pick up one of my favorites

This one it's of my character Estelle (Mom of my character Jean, or "J" for friends *chuckles*) when she was in the age of High school (Lycée). Here she's supposed to be studying for "Le bac". I say "supposed" cos now I notice...Not sure if it's very clear here that she's studying

 

"Le baccalauréat" (most commonly called "Le bac") it's a test students take at the end of their High school so they can then continue studying and enter to College/university. And as far as I've read, all the students must take it.

Since I'm planning to make a comic with these characters and both of them are french, and I was planning to make school scenes/flashbacks of both characters, and them talking about school, I wanted to know more about french education system and school programs and that stuff. And that's how I discovered this about "Le bac".

I also heard a friend of mine commenting something about that, and in my search, I watched a clip from a movie about that too. It wasn't very useful, althought it was fun to watch most of the time  And I've read (back when I made this drawing not now) some interesting articles about parenting on France, and discovered it's not the same than here in mexico or in America Let's say it was very interesting to find out how french parenting was since I think talking about what I've read might strart a discussion about if french parenting is "superior" or not to other countries ones, like it did on the articles I read

 I looked for info about parenting in France too,  because Estelle it's a mom character.

I would like to mention I felt very good and had much fun searching about this stuff. I really like to search about lots of stuff when I write or make comics or characters that are not from Mexico but from other countries, cos I want my characters feel genuinely from that country!

I would hate it (and I WOULD NEVER forgive myself!) if my characters fall in the "cliché" of being like most of foreigner characters in american movies/shows, who are just stereotyped characters that are rather silly, or offensive, or both .

Because a character from a country that isn't yours also has their own culture folklore and traditions, a different system to study and lifestyle, and very often, even a different perspective of life! Another perspective of mind! So I think having a character that genuinely feels from that country, not only makes people feel attached to the characters and feel identified with them, and makes your character a well developed character;  also it's a show of respect and appretiation for that country, and I think all this a is priceless! ^^ 
Because searching for info shows that you care about creating a well-structured character and also about the country you're talking about! And that's something you the viewer from that country always appreciate and thank deep inside the heart! Believe me, I've seen a couple of rare times, people taking care of making a good foreing characters, it's so cool when people does this! That makes you feel warm inside the heart! Sadly, from other countries not from mexico

In my case for example, I have never seen a single "mexican character" on tv or films who can be actually called "mexican" by me with pride, or even feel a tiiiny biiiit, genunely mexican. So I know very well how sad and dissapointing it is to see people making characters from other countries without searching even bit about them. Just because he or she talks spanish and says their favorite food it's "taco", it doesn't mean they are mexican.  There are lots of things to do to be a genuine mexican, that I've never seen portrayed on tv/films, sadly.

And of course, I would never want people feel insulted and/or sad if I ever create a bad foreing character, that's why I I always read and search the most I can before even thinking of making a character that isn't from Mexico

Even when making a character that it's form U.S., sometimes I search info about some stuff. Because even if people from the U.S. are a lot like mexicans (and I mean a lot! ) and I know them very well cos almost all my friends are from there, it's always the wisest thing to look for info about stuff you don't know or you aren't very sure about.

By the way, as my character was in the school at 70's era, I tried to give her clothes this air, and the style of painting for this piece was inspired on the super incredible artist Hollybell. I'm huge fan of her work since a long time before I signed up dA hehe!