WORDS: Bre Jones Mulock
PICTURES: Whitney Patton
Bold hues of orange, blue, red, and yellow sweep through
McKenzie Ware’s coveted sketchbook, filling hundreds
of worn pages with original and creative characters like
Oliver who happens to be part crocodile and part cow.
To be exact, McKenzie, an 11-year-old fifth-grader at Palmetto
Elementary School, has designed 217 Anime-inspired characters
that pop off the pages and compete to share their wildly funny
and detailed backstories – backgrounds she has written for every
single one of them.
“I look around my room for inspiration, and I might see a lamp
and think about a character that has a fear of lamps and bright
lights,” said McKenzie, who hopes to draw and write for an
animated series like Littlest Pet Shop one day. “This character
might walk into a surprise party filled with lamps and run away
screaming. I love sarcastic humor. It’s a stress reliever for me.”
With a fan following spanning from her school community to her
YouTube channel, McKenzie – an eloquent and confident speaker
who totes her sketchbook everywhere she goes – has catapulted
into a local artistic sensation. She’s sold six original characters
to peers and has a long and winding waiting list
of friends eager to have her draw themselves as
unique characters.
“People are always asking, ‘Draw me!
Draw me! Will you draw me next?’”
explained McKenzie with pride dripping from
her words and blue eyes smiling.
Before sunrise each morning, she climbs
out of bed to squeeze in some drawing
time before the school bell rings. With her
markers, colored pencils, Sharpies, and
gel pens lined up at her drafting table like
tiny locksmiths ready to release her imagination,
Ware begins to sketch while listening to bands like
Panic at the Disco.
Like a life-size crayon box, a kaleidoscope of vivid colors
engulfs her room where you’ll find original characters
Zap, Tik, and Dorkie smiling back at you. Every inch of
wall space is papered with either her art or fan art. In
fact, Ware has dedicated an entire wall to her designs that have
been recreated by admirers.
“McKenzie has influenced other students to draw,” said Donna
Williams, McKenzie’s language arts teacher. “At least two other
students now take their sketchbooks and artwork everywhere
– out to lunch, recess. They want everyone to see. A lot of
personality comes through in McKenzie’s artwork. It’s like an
anchor for her.”
When McKenzie isn’t focused on assignments, participating
with the school news, or rehearsing for a play, she’s drawing.
On car rides, at recess, during her after-school program at the
Boys and Girls Club, she’s dipping into her swirling imagination
and creating.
“She’s very bright – flies through everything,” said Williams, who
is one of McKenzie’s biggest fans. “But then she’s so focused
and inspired by her artwork. She can relate it to school and it
comes out in her writing.”