Fourth (D)

Yesterday we celebrated our fourth anniversary!  It was a very busy and exciting year with lots of traveling, family activities and of course welcoming a new addition to our own home.  For this (sort of) surprise for J, I went back to a drawing that's almost as old as our marriage.  I originally sketched this in early 2009 as a memento of a most splendid and EXTREMELY highly anticipated reunion (I can't exactly recommend doing almost a year of long-distance relationshipping, but it does have its perks, one of which is several epic airport reunions).  This was one of our last reunions before we were finally dwelling in the same time zone, and just a few days after this world-stopping moment we were officially (secretly) engaged.

I've been meaning to paint this for a while, but I decided to save it for a special occasion, and here was one, so here it is.

Happy anniversary, Wife!  You're my favorite and my best.

Sunday Sketches -- Austen Again (D)

The Summer of Austen continues as I have now made my way through two more of her novels.  This post features character sketches from one of Jane Austen's least well-known and one of her most well-known (and one of my favorite) novels.

Mansfield Park (1814)

The Timidest of All Austen Heroines, or, Sibling Shenanigans

 Emma (1815)

No Inducements To Marry Indeed, or, Paired Off Ever So Nicely

A couple more to finish up the series are on the way by summer's end (or shortly after).


P.S.  We have J to thank for Fanny's pug there in the top right.  It's a most appropriate addition

Babyfaces (J)

We have a baby now!  He is very cute and funny and charming.  He is also giving me cause to practice drawing babies, which I have always found difficult to draw.  The proportions of their faces can be so tricky.  I don't have a lot of drawing time these days, but here are a couple of little attempts I've made recently:

It's so hard to capture his looks and little personality in a wee pen drawing, but it's fun to keep trying. Here's to many future attempts!