Amanda Jones - her origins and influences (Patreon)

This is a post made purely for people that are interested.  It's more than a little self-indulgent, but from my side it feels long overdue.

Since first posting an Amanda pic 10 years ago, back on deviantART, I have now remade her twice.  It's important to realise that all 3D Daz/Poser artists (unless they are professional and exceptionally talented) have to start from a pre-made 3D base character built on a kind of 'chassis', that is to say Victoria 4, Genesis 2, 3 or 8.  Whether you use someone out-of-the-box or then go on to change her appearance almost entirely is a choice of the artist.  I am probably not overstating it if I say that I customise and re-model characters more than anyone else I know of. This is partly because it takes a lot of customisation to satisfy me, but also because there is a specific look I am going for - an image in my mind.

So what exactly is that image?  One of the most concerning things about remaking and re-releasing my 3D character is that people may have a fixed idea based on a prior version - then say that of the new one "she doesn't look like Amanda to me."  Well, the point is that she does to me, or I wouldn't have made her look like that.  However, the reason the versions don't all look exactly the same is because of (1) those different base models providing a different start point (2) my tastes and influences developed over time.

Above is a little scrapbook I originally wanted to make back in 2016 when I first uploaded 'New Amanda'.  It's a little homage to what I now acknowledge are the real life actresses and fictional characters that fused together in my head.  Here's a little bit about each of them:

Linda Danvers (top left, Supergirl, 1998) - Sometimes I wonder if I am the only person who can find Linda Danvers far more beautiful and sexy that her actual superheroine identity.  At least that is the case when she's drawn by Gary Frank and Cam Smith.  Her apperance in the 1998 Supergirl comics is exactly what I'd want Amanda to look like if she was ever in her own graphic novel.  A huge influence.

Nicola Bryant/Peri (top middle, Doctor Who, 1984) - the single biggest influence on Amanda by far.  This will enable you to work out how old I am when I say that I had a colossal crush on Peri from Dr Who when I was a hormonal teenager at school.  Peri was an American student with a brunette bob, who liked wearing tied shirts with apparently no bra.  Sounds familiar?  The only difference is that Nicola Bryant (who still looks great even now) is a little petite for Amanda, who I always imagined as athletic and quite tall.

Sandra Bullock (top right) - one of the most prolific and successful movie actresses needs no introduction.  Her characters in Demolition Man and A Time to Kill are highly Amanda-ish.  She is mostly a model for Amanda's personality rather than her look.  Ms Bullock has a distinctive chin cleft which (though by no means ugly) is something I've steered clear of in Amanda's facial designs.

Neve Campbell (bottom left) - Sidney in Scream was again a big influence on me.  And Ms Campbell wasn't half bad in The Craft either - strongly recommended if you like school uniforms. She could definitely have played Amanda back in her day, despite her lack of blue eyes.  The picture I include above has often acted as a visual reference.

Olivia Wilde (bottom middle) - although I haven't seen all of House, I treasured the episodes with Ms Wilde as 'Thirteen'.  I particularly liked her predeliction for turtleneck sweaters. Let's also not forget her role as Quorra in Tron Legacy (2010). Olivia Wilde is a strikingly beautiful actress with quite an exotic look.  She definitely taught me that there's something in arched brows, high cheekbones and a wide jawline, and that I shouldn't be afraid to pursue this look.

Lauren Cohan (bottom right) - it would be a huge omission if I didn't mention the strongest influence of the last decade.  The character of Maggie in The Walking Dead was the only reason I continued to watch that endless show for so long.  She is the main reason for the repeated appearance of plaid shirts in Amanda art.  And, if you want the quintessential Amanda reference, I strongly recommend The Boy (2016).  You could pretty much rename that girl Amanda Jones and she would be there in the movie.  Fun fact about Ms Cohan, do you know she's actually English and sounds just like me when she's off camera?  :-)

Anyhow, if you're still reading, well done, and I hope you enjoyed this little trip down memory lane. Please feel free to leave a comment below or to come and chat over on the Discord server.

The one thing I must add in closing, is that although these are the references and I am 'the creator' or God of the Amanda-verse, she simply would not exist without her fans.  If no-one had clicked 'Like' or left a comment over the last ten years, I would not have made all this huge amount of art.  It's been a privileged experience to share.

So, sincerely, Amanda and I say THANK YOU xxx

PS Author's note, I can sometime make an equivalent one of these scrapbooks for both Penelope and Ciara.   Perhaps when I re-make them.