Meet Coffee Bean! Oh wait...I mean, Coffee Bear? The story of a little bear cup that always gets mistaken for a coffee bean. To teach children the importance of self-respect, Coffee Bear must learn how to stand up for herself. Just because Coffee Bear does not fit into one category does not mean she is "strange." Despite everyone not understanding who or what she is, she learns how to accept her uniqueness without the approval of others.
The idea of Coffee Bear came from the play of words: "bean and bear" and "cub and cup." I got bored with my usual portraits and simplified animals, and I wanted to make something different. There are endless ways to mix and match creature designs, so I specifically set out to make something cute with two distinct features. There isn't much rhyme or reason other than accepting the mixture of ideas while maintaining an adorable charm. Sometimes, allowing yourself the freedom to create randomly takes away the pressure of drawing on a blank sheet. When you let your artistic side free, you can explore the unknown with grit. In the same way that people might not understand your art, I dedicate this story of Coffee Bear to not being understood by the world and being okay with that. I want people to embrace their weirdness even if it doesn't make sense.
final design
rough sketches