No matter where he goes, Kevin Wegener always has a friend by his side.

When people see the strange but adorable character on Wegener’s left arm, they usually assume that it was inspired by a Tim Burton movie or even by a dead muppet. After all, its cheerful smile despite its malformed body and missing eyeball does give off a Kermit the Frog-like quality.

But the character is not from the minds of Tim Burton or Jim Henson. Wegener created him when he was 11 years old, and has been drawing him ever since.

Drawing was always a healing hobby for Wegener, and this particular character stuck with him throughout all of his adolescent years. He took comfort in sketching the character while growing up in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

The senior film major decided to get his original character tattooed on his arm in August of 2015. He had always wanted to get one, and even designed his sister’s tattoo when he was 16 years old. When deciding on his own design, he knew he wanted to get something he had created himself. The furry skeleton that he had been sketching and doodling for around 10 years seemed like a natural choice.

“I’ve just been drawing for so long. To get someone else’s drawing on me would feel kind of impersonal,” Wegener said.

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Wegener’s sketchbook is filled with drawings of the skeleton-like creature. Sometimes he is drawn with legs, sometimes he isn’t. No matter what, though, there is always a grin of pure joy spread across his face. While the tattoo is a definite testament to Wegener’s creativity and love for drawing, it also serves as a representation of his adolescent years.

“He’s just weird. He’s kind of cute, kind of scary and kind of ugly. I feel like he just embodies awkwardness, and the entire range of my emotions while I was growing up,” he said.

Now that Wegener has had the tattoo for about a year and a half, he often forgets that it’s there underneath his shirtsleeve. Nonetheless, when he catches a glimpse of it in the mirror. The little furry creature is always smiling at him.

Said Wegener: “He always felt like a part of me. Now he really is.”

Published on March 6, 2017 at 9:18 pm

Contact Julie: jlmccu01@syr.edu