odongo 01

 

This is the first drawing I made of one of the daughters of Gikuyu and Mumbi(Nyambura aka Waikuru, the kind one). The two were the first people created by God in the Kikuyu community. Together, they had 9 daughters who brought forth the community.


It came to my attention that every time the 9 girls are mentioned, they are always clumped together. From this, I got the idea to differentiate them (not separate them).


For each, I started with an outline of the face. I then added the facial features and guidelines for where I wanted the shadows to be(all in graphite. I later blended everything in with a blending stump then addedcolour with coloured pencils and felt pens for the jewellery.


This specific one is my favourite of the ones I did as it portrays her happy and easy going nature all in the bright smile she has on.


From the whole experience, I got to learn a lot more about the Kikuyu community. An example is how the number of beaded necklaces one has on varies with age. I also got to learn how to work with graphite, coloured pencils and felt pens together.

 

odongo 02

 

 

 

 

odongo portrait

 

My name is Paulette Wambui Odongo. I am a visual artist, graphic designer and animator. I am currently studying Interractive Media Design at The Technical University of Kenya, situated in Nairobi, Kenya. Drawing is my main hobby but I see it as the one things that best represent who I am.