Collab sketch with  Balaa, of our little sheltie girl Kaylee meeting gentleman Bagheera at a ball for the first time. Poor girl is blushing so hard! :> Mara's blushing a little bit for Kaylee, too. They are best friends and Mara actually taught Kaylee a bit about the basics of dancing before she attended the ball, heehee!

This piece actually originated from my desire to explore drawing males wearing high heels. High heels were first invented in the middle-east for the cavalry - so riders can have both hands free to use the bow without falling off the horse. It later became a fashion for men of the nobility. It wasn't until much later that it became a women's fashion, let alone exclusively so.

I do have some mixed feelings toward cross-dressing, namely that women's clothing aren't cut for the shape of a man's body. It doesn't complement its lines correctly (this is not to say you can't cross-dress if you enjoy it, just saying that realistically - not in art - men tend not to look that great wearing women's clothes). I do, however, think clothing with effeminate qualities can look very handsome on men, provided they are specially tailored for men's body shape. :>

I mean, look at that... :> High-heeled boots and vest corset. Ooooh me wants. *__*

Dated February 2012.