Sketching Aileen

Not fat but she thinks she is
Long dark hair that comes down below her waist, worn in a single braid
Thick unmanageable dark eyebrows
Fat toes and fingers, bites her fingernails
Does not disclose much personal information to anyone
Resents her father's religion and blames it for her mother's death
Very very intelligent
Reads avariciously but doesn't like watching movies
Uses FaceBook but rarely posts anything
Mimics other peoples' gestures
Likes wild foods, flowers, and birdwatching but is terrified of spiders and snakes
Has a border collie named Buzzard who secretly lived in the Wash U dorms and attended class during the last semester of her senior year along with her 
Graduated with honors in history from Washington University in St. Louis
But could not get a job and now the student loans are due
Doesn't have a home to go home to: father abandoned family; mother died; grandmother is in a retirement community; uncle has made no attempt to reach out to her; no cousins; no aunts
Has been camping out on some classmates' couch for six months - in exchange for cooking and groceries - with Buzzard - it's been time to move out for a long time
Keeps in touch with grandmother but doesn't like her intrusiveness
Did like the private girls preparatory high school her grandmother paid for even though she could never participate in any of the social events not having the funds nor the wardrobe
Didn't see any other options after her grandmother got her a fabulous job - in fact the position of children's programing director at the museum was created for her and her grandmother rented an apartment six months in advance, utilities paid before even asking if she wanted to move to Ste. Genevieve
Likes Gary - if only he wasn't so religious and, it is awkward that he goes to church where Uncle John does; knows Gary has an evangelistic target on her back and thinks if she'd go through the motions then he'd ask her out but she won't because that would violate her conscience and disrespect her mother's memory

This is a sketch of Aileen. Until last weekend I had intended her to be the central character in Stuck in the Mud. Now, while she is the main character, she is not central to the core story. Her father, Dan, is.