A composite of a character Makayla Duran is calling "Gabby." Continue reading to fully view each piece and the story behind them! Art by Makayla and Coyote Duran.
Just recently, Makayla was hip deep in creating a character and scenario, both based on the "Grimace Shake" online trend, most popularly featured (I guess?) on TikTok.
Last June into July, McDonald's celebrated the big purple taste bud (yes, this is how he's described) Grimace's 52nd birthday (yes, he and I are both 52, although I don't believe Grimace's debut was until November of 1971) with a purple, berry-flavored shake. For whatever reason - and who knows why anyone posts overly weird stuff on TikTok - folks everywhere began uploading videos of the "results" of drinking these shakes.
Some people shared how the shakes "killed" people, transported them to other locations or just changed them somehow. As the kids say, it was a weird "flex"; to me, it was random as hell. However Guillaume Huin, the social media director for McDonald's (per Wikipedia), seemed to get down with it.
So one day, our daughter Makayla put her own spin on this trend by not creating a video but her signature, manga-inspired digital art.
Makayla's character, tentatively named "Gabby," who's undergoing a possession of sorts after drinking a "Grimace Shake." Note Makayla's version of Grimace looming to your left. Art by Makayla Duran.
As you can see, it appears that Makayla's character is fighting off (or enjoying. The story is still developing...) a possession of some sort. (I love that kid. She won't watch horror films with me but shares a twisted bent.) On your left, "Gabby" seems to be a normal, six-year-old, little girl enjoying a shake and on your right, a delighted Grimace is enjoying her subsequent possession, as she transforms into a strange entity, drooling out a mouthful of this weird, frozen beverage.
After Makayla finished the drawing, she asked me if I wouldn't mind rendering this crazy character in my style. I had a few art things to button up but promised her I would absolutely tackle such a neat challenge. I broke out the Strathmore Art Bristol Board (8.5" X 11"), my trusty "Blue Special" lead holder, erasers and pens and went to work on this new, fun "commission."
First things first, it was time to find some photo reference for a six-year-old girl. It didn't take long for it to hit me that Googling "six-year-old girl" is downright creepy, so I searched my own collection of photos of my absolute favorite former six-year-old: Makayla.
Makayla Duran, age 6, posing with a can of Flex Seal at American Science and Surplus. She really liked spokesperson Phil Swift, for some reason.
As long as I've been creating art, I've never done a piece in this manner, so I took it pretty seriously. How exactly will I make my own version yet hold on tightly to its inspiration's spirit and design? Well, by taking my time and making certain all the pieces fell into place. I guess I had to let the art talk to me and guide me in the right direction. It didn't hurt that Makayla would visit "Turtle Valley" (my studio area's official name) and whoop and smile when she saw my progress.
After my finished inks, it was Copic marker time. Matching Makayla's color palette had to be the biggest challenge but with enough layering of color (and I had to frequently remind myself that this piece was also in my style, so I didn't have to sweat things too much), I think I got pretty close.
Regarding the transformation of Makayla's photo reference into my version of her character, I really needed it for proportion and not necessarily for copying things note for note. The smile had to be different but I still wanted to offer that "purple drool" feel without the actual purple drool. Instead I made her tongue purple. In Makayla's version, her left arm was referred to as a "scarf arm." I suppose this was some sort of mutation of the scarf to our left in her version but I took it to Mr. Fantastic/Plastic Man levels on mine and wrapped it all the way around her front and behind and past her head. To our left of Makayla's version, Gabby has a dog's ear and fluffy tail, which I cartooned accordingly on mine.
After considering rendering a graphic design element behind the image in my version, I shifted to Makayla's rendering by drawing the shape of Grimace behind her. You can't see his eyes but he's there. Behind Gabby's right arm, you can even see the lower line weight of his right arm. That's it. Hopefully you didn't catch all that until now. That's the "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" moment, kids.
I topped everything off with some Winsor & Newton 974-series white ink for highlights.
Makayla's character Gabby (?). Copic marker, Micron marker, Pentel Pocket Brush Pen, Faber-Castell PITT B-series brush pen and Winsor & Newton 974-series white ink on 8.5" X 11" Strathmore Bristol Board. Art by Coyote Duran. (Please click to enlarge.)
And there you have it. Howlers. Makayla's mind was delightfully blown. I made certain to remind her that I don't believe for one bit that my version is better than hers. It's different. You see, the character isn't mine; it's Makayla's. And imagination and design mean everything here - and those were all hers.
And if you're an artist - whether you're a kid or parent - I suggest you try a joint project like this!
And if you're wondering why I referred to this piece as a commission earlier, that wasn't a mistake. Money's great and all but unlimited hugs and kisses are way better, 10 times out of 10.
And that's why this is my most important commission, Howlers. ❤
Makayla and me, proudly holding the framed fruits of our labors.
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