Come Fly With Me (J)

One day I sat a'doodling and everything was coming out ugly.  This seems to happen a lot lately, maybe because my drawing time is more infrequent.  Anyhoo, it was kind of depressing and irritating but I tried again, as one must do with arts.  And that drawing turned out!  It turned out so well that I colored it later and was pleased as punch.

I really enjoy doing fanarts, but it is also fun to do something original.  Though maybe it's a little If-Ginny-Weasley-were-into-planes?

It's nice to know I can still do stuff with a pencil or pen or stylus, whatever the case may be. 

Things I Almost Remember (D)

The other night we watched Anastasia, which I have been wanting to rewatch for quite some time.  I think this movie, along with a few others around the same time, had a significant hand in influencing and developing (read: improving) my art style in my teenage years.  This movie also always makes me think of Christmastime, probably in large part because of this song.

Background texture courtesy of here.

Hazel Grace and Mister Waters (D)

A little while ago we both read John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, and it left quite an impression on both of us.  I don't usually read YA, but I really liked this one.  I did a sketch of these two youngsters after reading, with which I was NOT satisfied, but then this redo has been brewing in my mind and hands and tablet for a while, and now it has finally surfaced.

Okay.

I like these kids.

(Special thanks to J for helping me figure out the originally-much-more-wonky background.  It's so nice to have someone on hand to critique your work along the way.)

Family Peeps (J)

We had a baby!  I know, I know--old news.  Babies take a lot of time.  I know, I know--old news.  But seriously, they do.  Which means I don't have as much time for making arts as I used to.  I don't really mind this though, because I like that baby so much!  Even so, it was a lot of fun to pull out my beloved tablet and fiddle around in Photoshop with this little family portrait:

I'm still getting the hang of baby proportions, and he looks older than his three (almost four!) months.  Oh well!  He's cute anyway.  That bearded fellow ain't too bad either.

Hahahaha.

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!