Tearing Down the Unicorns
These illustrations are based on the short story Tearing Down the Unicorns by Janni Lee Simner. Because of the message the story holds about some of the trials of growing up, I chose to focus exclusivelyon the figure in these drawings, thus turning the unicorn character into an abstract metaphor. The drawings were done in graphite and colored pencil on paper and are roughly 20x30".
There were times throughout this project that, when I told peopleabout the story I wanted to focus on, the response I got back usually wentalong the lines of “Unicorns? Really?” However, this story has stayed with methroughout childhood and into adulthood because it isn’t simply about unicorns,just as this show is not simply about illustrating the story. If you readthrough it, you will find that the focus is actually on Stacy’s, the maincharacter, realization and acceptance of certain changes in her life as she andher sister begin to grow up. But what she realizes is that growing up doesn’talways mean growing apart, it just means that you are becoming different.Defining yourself entirely by others doesn’t make you your own person; it just makesyou a shadow of someone else. The point of the unicorn is to act as a focalpoint for this child’s realization of an idea that is really very grown up. Icome from a family with an older sister so I have always been able to relate toStacy’s situation, but I have also been a big sister for the past sixteenyears, so I have been able to relate to both sides of the story.
There were times throughout this project that, when I told peopleabout the story I wanted to focus on, the response I got back usually wentalong the lines of “Unicorns? Really?” However, this story has stayed with methroughout childhood and into adulthood because it isn’t simply about unicorns,just as this show is not simply about illustrating the story. If you readthrough it, you will find that the focus is actually on Stacy’s, the maincharacter, realization and acceptance of certain changes in her life as she andher sister begin to grow up. But what she realizes is that growing up doesn’talways mean growing apart, it just means that you are becoming different.Defining yourself entirely by others doesn’t make you your own person; it just makesyou a shadow of someone else. The point of the unicorn is to act as a focalpoint for this child’s realization of an idea that is really very grown up. Icome from a family with an older sister so I have always been able to relate toStacy’s situation, but I have also been a big sister for the past sixteenyears, so I have been able to relate to both sides of the story.
Peering
Wonderment
Burning
False Start 1
False Start 2
False Start 3
How to Begin?
Decision
Never Stop
Dancing Fire
Like I'm Flying
Just Me
