I recently completed a commission for an illustration of a little indigenous boy performing as a grass dancer. The client advised me on what details to include to make him look authentic, since she is indigenous and I am not. She wanted it to match that illustration I made a few years ago of a girl in a jingle dress.
I’ve always thought jingle dresses looked fancy, so here’s a little Indigenous girl dancing in her jingle dress.
(I’m not Indigenous, so apologies if I got something wrong. If anything’s egregiously wrong, please let me know and I’ll fix it.)
So, I’m working on a series for my portfolio in my spare time. It revolves around the girl on the right and her middle school friends. She was also in the selfie pic I posted earlier.
I hesitated to put this one up now, before I’ve finished more of the series, because it’s pretty negative and the series isn’t supposed to be negative.
I was kind of in a mood when I drew it.
I promise she’s not normally a kid that gets in fights.
This was just a really bad day for her.
The next one will be more pleasant.
I promise.
I actually chose this pose to show some action, to show the two figures directly interacting with each other in a realistic pose, to show angry expressions, and to oppose the stereotypes that only boys ever fight.
Karen B. Jones - Illustrator 