Perfect Penelope.
Penelope was born as an assignment in a class from Will Terry at UVU.
The next semester I took an art history class and couldn’t take a drawing class. I decided I would draw Penelope every day to keep up my drawing skills and to figure out how to draw her in different poses.
I drew Penelope doing as many different things as possible.
I was new at getting my characters to move in space on a piece of paper. I was trying to develop the skill of turning my characters. Every day I would spend an hour drawing her doing something different. I wasn't very picky about what she did and she became a renaissance sea otter: Good at everything. Perfect Penelope could scuba dive, play soccer, fish, fly kites, wash dishes and even brush her teeth without being asked.
Having a perfect character, however, doesn’t make an interesting character. She needs some flaws. She needs some pet peeves. She needs to fail.
I’ve been sitting here for years waiting for the muse to tell me what her flaws are. Nothing has come. I forgot that I am the creator. I get to pick her flaws.
First I’ll need to brainstorm a list of possible flaws. Since she is for a picture book, I’ll need flaws that children younger than 8 years old have.
Here are some:
Don’t share
Get upset when schedules change
Like to have everything exactly right every time. OCD?
Get scared at night
They are messy and leave their things out everywhere
Scared that Mom/Dad won’t come back for them.
Play pranks
Make messes
Obsessed with screen time
Don’t like baths
Thinks she is perfect
Doesn’t comb her hair
Doesn’t brush his/her teeth
Picks her nose and eats it.
Procrastinates
Promises things she doesn’t do.
Forgets
Sneaks extra screen time.
Throws fits
Whines when they don’t get their way. “Mommy said NOOOO!!!”
Easily distracted
Doesn’t do chores
Doesn’t listen to Mom/Dad
Does the opposite of what they are asked to do
Likes to play in mud
Gets upset when something isn’t fair.
Doesn’t think about the horrors of tracking mud into the house.
If it isn’t perfect, she blames someone else and wants to do it all over again.
Interrupts adults at school and friends when talking.
Has to always be right.
Pulls toys out of someone’s hands.
Sneaks toys from someone else when they aren’t looking.
Says they will do something but then doesn’t do it.
Waits until the teacher thinks they have done their worksheets and then goes to play.
Shy
Scared of social situations
Afraid
Doesn’t like to be told what to do.
As I’m looking over this list of flaws, I’m reminded that maybe I need to work on what motivates her.
I think it was October of 2019 when I decided to use Penelope for Inktober. The plan was to draw her everyday in a narrative that would have a complete story at the end of the month.
As I reviewed the 2019 Inktober pictures, she has a sense of right and wrong and doing nice things for others in secret. She is willing to sneak out at night to do service and can solve problems creatively.
And then this came:
Penelope is kind and thoughtful. She likes to do service for others without them knowing it was her.
Penelope loves to dance, tumble, run, wiggle, slide, fidget and sneak. She hates to be told to sit still. She has to move, explore, touch,
Clumsy. Not aware of her own strength. A bull in a china cupboard. Always twirling, spinning, hanging. Loves to do nice things for others especially in secret. Doesn’t look like she is paying attention, but she is. She loves to hug everyone she meets including salesmen she has never met before. Her bubble is inside herself. She spreads love everywhere she goes: joy and happiness, gladness. Her body size is on the large side. She loves fancy shoes. Glitter. Sequins.
Boom. That’s Penelope. I’m hoping that means I can now draw her flaws and everything.