Merida the Celtic Punk

I've been working on this for a week now, and alas it is finally done. This is basically a tribute to both 'Brave', as the movie that completely changed my life, as well as a tribute to my youth as a punk back in the day, which were also the best years of my life. I got the whole idea of turning Merida into a punk (and even a skinhead) when I was watching a vintage documentary about punks and skinheads from the 80's last week, called 'UK/DK : A Film About Punks & Skinheads' ([link]). I got so excited about it, that I picked up my pencil and paper, and just started sketching away, right after watching the documentary. I basically placed Merida in each and every single one of the punk scene's best and worst subcultures in history.

At first, I was planning on working on ten artworks, but this plan was later scrapped because the last two artworks were actually terrible. So, at the last minute, I cancelled the last two pieces and instead decided to upload the remaining eight. I definitely felt comfortable drawing Merida in all the outfits and 'uniforms' of the many punk subcultures, simply because I used to be a rusty and crusty punk myself back when I was only 12! Those were the days for me, running around with my punk friends, listening to old punk records from the 70's and 80's, causing a little bit of havoc here and there, as well as not giving a fuck about whatever the adults said about us. So, for Merida, I can totally tell that she fits right in with the whole punk scene, simply because she herself is very rebelious in the movie, and quite anti-authoritarian too. That is what attracted me to Merida in the first place; she was a real rebel, just like how I was when I was in my early teens and running around with punks and skinheads alike.

This one is the last piece. Here, we see Merida, in a full (not really full) Scottish tartan costume/outfit, with bagpipes and a bottle of scotch whiskey, looking a wee bit drunk. She is a Celtic punk here. For the final piece, I decided to put Merida in her native Scottish punk scene because, damnit, she just looks perfect that way! Besides, it's more natural for her to be a part of her traditional culture. The Celtic punk scene is definitely one of my favorite scenes simply because most of them are all naturally of Irish and Scottish ancestry, much like Dropkick Murphys and Flogging Molly. But the one band that really hit it home with the scene were old timer punks The Real McKenzies ([link]), who are Scottish-Canadian, and definitely one of my favorite bands of all time. The same thing goes for Merida too, I guess. Here's a little fun fact; while working on this piece, I was really drunk because I went out drinking with some of my mates. When I came home, I decided to continue my piece, but I was still drunk and intoxicated. So, that is why the artwork looks a bit crappy, but at least I managed to finish it. Hard to believe a drunk guy did this one perfectly, right? Trust me, I kid you not!