A couple of weeks ago I decided to teach myself to draw. I've always been a doodler and have been in search of a new hobby so I thought, why not try drawing? I've long admired my artist friends for what they're able to create, and I follow so many amazing illustrators on Instagram. Plus, I've always wanted to be able to see my characters on paper, not just in my head. The other day (following an online tutorial) I drew my first character.
Meet Willis, the ornery rhino and Palace Guard from Down the Wishing Well. No, he doesn't talk, just grunts and glares a lot. It's his job to pull the armored carriage that carries the wished-upon coins from the Lake of Wishes to the White Palace where the Wish Granters live. He becomes Kitsy and Teddy's protector, not to mention Teddy's best friend.
Here's a little excerpt:
Teddy quietly got up and cautiously approached the rhino. He had noticed that Willis didn’t graze on the grass like the llamas and figured that he must be hungry.
“Hi,” he whispered to the animal.
The rhino opened one eye, looked down at him with annoyance, then closed his eye again.
“I thought you might be hungry. Would you like some of my supper?” he offered, holding up a large chunk of bread.
The rhino’s eye opened again, looked Teddy up and down, and then looked at the bread. Gently, the beast took the food from Teddy’s hand. He closed his eyes and chewed rather noisily. After he swallowed, he made a small grunt, a sound Teddy took as a thank you.
Teddy smiled brightly. “You’re welcome!”
A little secret: he's named after the actor Bruce Willis.