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Her father, Andy Ware, proudly supports his daughter’s artistic
endeavors, loving that her room is filled with all her creations.
“She’s really excited to be featured as an artist,” he said. “She
loves to draw and is really good at it.” In addition, McKenzie
Ware’s stepmom (also an artist) helped craft one of her characters
into a Halloween costume last year. “We used a big box and a
green T-shirt and jeans,” Ware said. “I was really proud of how
it turned out.”
Moving onto Manatee School for the Arts next year, McKenzie
has eyes set on attending Ringling College of Art and Design in
the future. She gleans inspiration from the book series Warrior
Cats and strives to one day write and illustrate her own books
and animate original TV shows.
“I love writing, science, and history,” smiled McKenzie, who
boasts an extensive Pokémon card collection and a love for
mashed potatoes. “Give me a big book about the Civil War, and
I’ll read it in like a week.”
Closing up her sketchbook and tucking it into her backpack, she
looked out the school office window and caught a glimpse of
best friend Shazely walking by with her class. A smile lit up her
face and she stretched her neck higher to sneak a better look.
“That’s Shazely, and I get to see her later,” said McKenzie. “I
love art because I like to create. I also like that it bonds me with
friendship.”
The power of creating – and being good at it – has carved out
a rooted sense of identity for McKenzie, which she shares has
fueled her self-esteem. At previous schools, she felt lost in the
shadows and bullied.
“Honestly, I feel like a super star here,” she said, absolutely
beaming and looking around the halls as if soaking up her
beloved environment. “I feel here I am more cared about and
no one bullies me any more. They treat me better. They call me
‘famous’ and think my art is cool and not weird.”
McKenzie’s past experiences often influence her art. Red Scar –
a bullied cat – got in a fight and now wears an eye patch. Scars
are etched into her fur, much like her symbolic scars, she said.
While she loves school now, McKenzie impatiently checks the
clock as it ticks closer to dismissal. The bell means The Boys
and Girls Club after school program where she links up with best
friend and fellow artist Shazely Szigetvairi.
Like professional TV show collaborators, the girls flip open their
sketchbooks and weave together stories and characters that
have been parading across their minds at school all day. They
are currently working on a YouTube movie project based on their
lives at school and post projects onto the channel idrawbad.
“Ever since the second week of school we’ve been best friends,”
said McKenzie, who loves to share she got 17 sketchbooks for
Christmas. “I was so happy when I met her. We both draw animals
and watch Anime and cartoons. We pass the sketchbook back
and forth and collaborate.”
Emerging at the age of eight, McKenzie’s passion for drawing
blossomed after tuning into The Littlest Pet Shop series. She
worked feverishly to re-create this art style and has only grown
since then. On a recent day, Ware nonchalantly pulls out her
sketchbook to demonstrate (on the fly) how she draws eyes.
With a brow furrowed in concentration and lips pursed, she
glides her sharpened pencil quick and effortlessly in sketchy, but
deliberate motions. An eye that looks straight out of an animated
series seems to develop out of thin air. Then she moves on to
more “edgy” ways to draw eyes and eagerly flips through her
past drawings to highlight examples.