You know who people used to talk about a lot more back in 2000? J. Lo. That was the year she wore THE DRESS to the Grammys. Green, gauzy, super plunging neckline. I think in the last fifteen years the celebrity gossip cycle has sped up- something as silly as a dress might still be seen around the web for a few days but with Jennifer Lopez and this dress it seemed to be an endless rehashing. Late night comedians talked about it. It was plastered on every magazine cover. Trey Parker (of Southpark fame) wore a version of it to the Oscars later that year. It was condemned, celebrated, and leered at.
This brings us to Kira Suarez.
This character and her ENORMOUS family is a showcase of a very specific time and place. First off, I made this family huge and I still have a bunch of these drawings. And while the fashions are different all of their faces look exactly the same. Big Charlie Brown-esque heads, huge eyes, tiny noses, and giant ears. Looking at Kira now makes me cringe because this drawing is essentially my teenage insecurities laid bare.
This character and her ENORMOUS family is a showcase of a very specific time and place. First off, I made this family huge and I still have a bunch of these drawings. And while the fashions are different all of their faces look exactly the same. Big Charlie Brown-esque heads, huge eyes, tiny noses, and giant ears. Looking at Kira now makes me cringe because this drawing is essentially my teenage insecurities laid bare.
The clothes that the original drawing wears- very sexy. Very 2000 Grammys inspired. The pattern and colors are very preppy, very neutral and refined. She's wearing a headband, perfect makeup. Very accessorized. And she is drawn in my best approximation of manga style drawing.
I think wish fulfillment can be more than one thing. Sure, sometimes it can be about just wishing for things we want. But I think sometimes it can also be wishing for things that would make our life easier, even if we don't really want them. There was nothing stopping me then (or now, for that matter) from dressing preppier. Or wearing cranial accessories (which I still can't stand to this day). There was nothing stopping me from committing to learn how to draw manga (even though I knew I didn't really want to). So truly, I can't be that embarrassed by this drawing anymore. Because I still know now what I knew then: that despite my insecurities about “fitting in”, despite my anxiety, and despite my lack of self confidence I have known who I am for a very, very long time. And nothing like a famous dress or a cool classmate was ever going to be able to change that.
About the redraw- I drew this huge Hispanic family. In my own approximation of manga style drawing. And I gave them all lily white skin. Um . . . True, my scanner washes out the colored pencil even further but I definitely want to explore this group of drawings in a more realistic way. There is no doubt that the character of Kira was cute and trendy in her original drawing so for the redraw I decided to make her a (still cute and trendy) boss lady. She now looks like the kind of woman who would be getting shit done (insert finger snaps for emphasis).
Art Lesson: One thing I did not change? Those ears. I still use those because they are so ding-dang cute. Also . . . these are some of my worst feet ever. My tip is, try to avoid making your drawings look like they are en pointe unless they are, in fact, ballet dancers.
Kira's art trading card can be purchased in my shop.
Kira's art trading card can be purchased in my shop.