Artist Jephyr - Digital and Fine Art

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"Trevor Lee" - Pencil Sketch- Copyright 2012, Jephyr (Jeff Curtis), All Rights Reserved

2012 Sketchbook - Original Character Design

Was on the far west side of the city—and was
looking for a place to stop for a bite and sketch.

I saw a little Chinese restaurant, and drove into the
parking lot and wondered if it was any good.

As I sat in my car debating going in I saw a guy leaving
the place so I rolled down my window to ask about it.

Normally I wouldn't mention anyone race
unless it was very pertinent to the story—and
in this case it is—and I'll explain why.

He was a youngish black guy who looked to
be about 30 or so—and when he answered my
question about the place—within a few words
it was obvious he had a strong Chinese accent
which caught me off guard because I assumed
he was just an "average" American dood. ☺

Anywho—He mustn't have done a good job
of "selling" the joint, because I wound up at a
little Mexican place I'd been to before.

After eating there I started to draw and was well
into this character when I realized it looked a lot like
a cartoonish caricature of the guy I'd spoken to.

Clearly, he'd made made an impression
on me during our short interaction.

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BTW—Later when I told this story to a young
Chinese waitress I knew at a restaurant / buffet—she
said that it's very unusual to see blacks in China except in
larger cities—and she herself had never see one other
than in the movies/TV until she moved to the US.

 

Image: Copyright 2012, Jeff Curtis (Jephyr)
All Rights Reserved