Vesper Hawker

I've been drawing more detailed portraits of the characters in my webcomic Swan Eaters. The Hawker Triplets and Clover were first, and now I've painted Vesper Hawker.

Vesper Hawker

At 22 years old, Vesper is the oldest Hawker child, and yet she's not really a Hawker. Vesper was seven when her mother Hester married Morbis Hawker.

A sketch of Hester and Morbis's wedding day, with Vesper
 in the middle wearing Salem's frock before it was a hand-me-down.

Morbis adopted Vesper and gave her his name. She doesn't know who her real father is, because Hester intentionally keeps the details vague.

It's a good thing Vesper isn't actually a Hawker, because she's had her eye on Morbis's brother Offal for a couple of years. 

Offal is a few years older than Vesper. In my own dating days I went out with one or two men significantly older than me and admittedly a lot of my jokes regarding Vesper and Offal come from those experiences. Offal is a bit of a scoundrel and a cad on top of the age difference, so he's pretty content with Vesper's attention until he has to leave his comfort zone.

While Vesper tries to change Offal's bad boy ways (ladies, why do we do this?) she doesn't realize that her friend Wigglesworth is in love with her.

Wigglesworth has his own baggage, as he is a monster from another dimension that Salem summoned to our world last autumn. Only the triplets, Clover, and Grandma know the truth. They help Wigglesworth hide his monstrous form by pretending he's a mute leper beneath his cloak and hood.

Trapped in our world, Ivan Hawker convinced Morbis and Offal to hire Wigglesworth to do odd jobs and heavy lifting. Grandma has offered to help him get home, but he opted to stay close to Vesper.

No one really understands Vesper's focus on Offal, but Wigglesworth is probably the most puzzled by it.

Occasionally Wigglesworth tries to show his affection for Vesper, but Offal takes the credit....

Vesper counts Wigglesworth as her closest friend but doesn't realize he hopes for more. Because of this, he's definitely "in the friend zone" and she just doesn't see him romantically. In her defense, she also thinks he has leprosy.

Vesper is Hester's clear favorite. She's the only child Hester does not share with Morbis, so it may be that Mama Hawker sees Vesper as 100% hers. Or it could be that they shared seven years alone together before meeting Morbis, Offal, and Grandma Hawker. We don't yet know what happened in those seven years, they may have faced some trials and difficulties together that bonded them a little closer. Whatever the reason, Hester relies on Vesper for friendship, conversation, and to split the fortune telling act and help with the Hawker brood.

A detail of her face... Whoever her real Dad is, he was probably a looker
as Vesper is the only real knock out in the Hawker Clan.

A detail of her feathers, locket, and beads....

I really like Vesper. Her roles as helper to the traveling show and caring for the other children have kept her out of some of the story lines, but I have a lot planned for her in the next year. Her aspirations may not be very high, but she has a major part to play in the fate of the Hawkers.