Dulcinea

My tribute to the "character" (sort of) of the best and most important Spanish novel of all time: Don Quixote de La Mancha. (if you don't know about it, shame on you!)

Here I drew the different versions of Dulcinea del Toboso, Don Quixote's main lady......in his mind. See, in the novel, the character doesn't actually exists. She's an image of the perfect woman the main character has, because, in his eyes, a true knight must have a beautiful important lady in his life. The closest thing to a love interest he actually has had in his life is his neighbor Aldonza Lorenzo, a run-of-the-mill farm girl (the fat one), but she's not important in the story.

However, in the musical adaptation, "Man of La Mancha", Aldonza actually exists. Even though she's described as ugly by many characters, the actress is usually fine. Well, that's theatre for you. She's a tough and stubborn wash girl and self-proclaimed whore whom Don Quixote meets at an inn. He quickly calls her "Dulcinea" and proclaims his everlasting love to her, only to be rejected several times. By the end of the story, however, Aldonza warms up a bit towards him, but it's too late. If you've seen/read it, you know what I mean.

Done with pencils, ink, and paint.