Christchurch illustrator Sam Moore has become a social media star for his hilarious depictions of stereotypical Kiwis. The art director has been busy compiling his satirical sketches into a book, People of New Zealand - and drawing a "special piece" for none other than The Project's Kanoa Lloyd.
Some of his finest creations include 'Office Jan', 'Helpful Beryl' and fan favourite, 'Hilux Surf Drew' - but in preparation for Tuesday's chat to The Project, Moore created a slug-spiting, fabulous-footwear-wearing Kanoa Lloyd cartoon.
- Christchurch artist Sam Moore illustrates Kiwi stereotypes in comical series
- The artist behind viral sensation People of New Zealand
"Sam did a special piece, a commission," said Jeremy Corbett.
"Scared of slugs", "statement footwear", "wondering what her dog is up to", "A-Grade eyebrows", "recently joined the Avondale gentrification wave" and "confidence scares the male boomers" all are used to describe Kanoa's cartoon copy.
If Kanoa was to join Moore's classic Kiwis series, "wondering what her dog is up to" would have to be the most relatable quirk nationwide.
Moore's drawings, which initially originated as an after-work hobby, have now become a popular source of humour and entertainment. The artist began posting his creative drawings of everyday Kiwis on Reddit last year, his Instagram has since amassing over 110,000 followers.
"I characterise people into "bogans" or whatever, but there are sub-sectors. I thought, why not... get people interested in Kiwi stuff again rather than the usual sci-fi fantasy stuff that I'd usually be drawing... so I went from there," he told The Project.
Other stereotypical New Zealanders include the middle-aged office worker with the chunky necklace and extravagant brooch who takes it upon herself to keep the workplace in order - fondly dubbed 'Office Jan'.
"Most offices have a Jan and if they don't have a Jan, they need one," Moore said.
"She holds things together, organising the biscuits, organising the functions. If she's not in the office, she'll be out with her walking group. She's one of my favourites.
"[Then there's] Helpful Beryl - she'll usually have some sort of injury and she'll tell you about her medications and ailments."
Moore's most popular creation is 'Hilux Surf Drew' - a Maccas-munching, rugby-shorts-rocking Kiwi.
"The guys who's wearing socks and getting McDonald's on Saturday morning - that one went crazy. I think I put it up on Facebook and it got 7000 comments. It's kind of subtle, but when you see that picture, you start seeing Hilux Drews everywhere," Moore explained.
Moore's characters have sometimes proved controversial, but he is no hypocrite. He saved his harshest criticism for his "easiest" caricature - himself.
"I'm not the most confident guy in the world. It's all about taking the mickey out of yourself. It was by far the easiest character to do," he said.
Moore said his cartoons ultimately are a fun way of documenting an aspect of New Zealand life.
"Not famous people, just regular people," he said.
"I like taking the mickey out of characters, but they have rich lives. Their hobbies and what they wear might be different, but their lives are just as complex as yours."
Newshub.
