Illustration Friday: Bottled

Took a hiatus from my usual history lesson submissions and did a bit of a self portrait. I like to call this one "Any Given Sunday."

It's been a long winter and I'm feeling a bit confined to say the least. Spring needs to come quickly or I may drown in my wine rack.

Illustration Friday: Toy.

Ahhhh.... Georgiana Cavendish. She was FABULOUS. Unfortunately, she didn't have what one would call a "happy" marriage. Ridiculed and abused for not producing a male heir - Georgiana found love with Charles Grey in a well-known affair. Their affair produced a daughter, Eliza. Sadly, she was sent into exile to have the baby and then was forced to give her to Grey's family. "G" was told she would never see her other children again if she were to keep the girl. Eliza grew up not knowing why her "parents" resented and disapproved of her (Charles' Aunt and Uncle.) Georgianna visited her frequently in secret and always brought toys (which were never given to her as a child by anyone but Georgiana.) It wasn't until the Duchess passed away that Eliza was told who her real mother was.

Eliza named her first daughter Georgiana.

They Draw and Eat Figs

Super Salli and Nate the Great have launched a contest for a Fig Recipe Illustration. For more information click HERE. This is my submission for that contest. Boy oh boy- this was a fun one. Click the image to see it larger. Happy Friday everyone.

Illustration Friday: Stir

Madame du Barry was the last Maîtresse-en-titre of Louis XV of France and one of the victims of the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution. She liked to stir things up from the very beginning- as she started her long and profitable career as a courtesan in a brothel-casino. Her remarkable beauty caught the attention of Jean-Baptiste du Barry, a high-class pimp/procurer - who eventually arranged for her to have a  title and falsified birth documents to make it seem as if she came from nobler descent. I personally, picture her life in the castle as the white trash girlfriend at an expensive restaurant.


Years after Louis' death, Madame du Barry was accused of treason and sentenced to death. On the way to the guillotine, she collapsed in the tumbrel and cried "You are going to hurt me! Why?!" Terrified, she screamed for mercy and accused the crowd. Her last words to the executioner were: "One moment more, Mr. Executioner, 
I beg you!"  

Illustration Friday: Warning

It's safe to say that Jane Seymour (1509-1537, NOT Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman) had sufficient warning that her husband was a narcissistic sell-out. She married him only hours after he had his second wife, Anne Boleyn, beheaded. Granted, it was a fancy sword and not a "commoners" axe that removed her head. Some believe Jane was strategically placed in Henry VIII's presence specifically to draw him away from Anne.

For years she led such a passive existence that there is no record of her even speaking until she did what the first two wives could not--- deliver a male heir. Her marital servitude did not get her far. Jane died a few days after giving birth due to an infection. When asked if whether they should save the mother or the child, Henry said "let the child live, for other wives are easily found."

Although he married 3 more women in his time, Henry is buried next to only woman that gave him a son, Jane.

Good Vs. Evil

got to meet my heroes this past Friday night. I could listen to Ripert's accent all night long (he also had the most fabulous suit I've ever seen)--- I'm on a mission to try each one of his recipes. As for Bourdain, I just can't tell you how much I LOVE him, smart AND sexy.

Joanna the Mad

I had to create a character illustration for a book collage- so I chose Joanna the Mad. One of the most fabulous facts about this Cuckoo Queen of Castile is that she was married to "Philip I the Handsome". I think I will just start calling my husband "Brian the Brawny". Yes, yes, I think that's a fine idea.

burn out.

So what does everyone do to get rid of that "burnt out" feeling? I usually start sketching crazy royals and force them into an illustration friday theme... but I don't have any time to do that! CALGON!!!!

Been working at an unhealthy pace and hope to slow down very soon. But as all freelancers know- it's feast or famine so you have to make hay while the sun is shining. I'm not complaining about having work, I'm more fearful there will be nothing tomorrow. Catch 22. Can I work in any more clichés into this post?

One of the more interesting projects- (design-wise, it is limiting- but high score in coolness) signs for a historical inn and tavern in upstate New York that a friend just finished remodeling.  I grew up in the sign business, which accounts for my addiction to fonts.

Pattern Power

I've always been jealous of those artists who get to make patterns (especially like the amazing Helen Dardik) and then I got the assignment... 12-20 patterns- no boundaries or limitations. OH.MY.DOG. The potential- HUGE. (granted, it is focused around gardening) I can't tell you what these are for--- yet.
But I will tell you this... I'm not jealous anymore- this was extremely difficult. Fun, but difficult.

For Hadley

In celebration of a beautiful girl...
A friend asked me to read Hadley's story and design a print for her mother. No child should have to endure what this girl went through. She is most definitely dancing in heaven.

Illustration Friday: Dusty

The word for the week at illustration friday is DUSTY. Likely composed in the 1580's, Philip Sidney's Astrophel and Stella is an English sonnet sequence containing 108 sonnets and 11 songs. The name derives from the two Greek words, 'aster' (star) and 'phil' (lover), and the Latin word 'stella' meaning star. Astrophel is the star lover and Stella is his star.

Some have suggested that the love represented here may be a literal one - Astrophel is Sidney and Stella is Penelope Rich, the very attractive wife of a courtier. She was considered one of the beauties of Elizabeth's court. She was golden-haired with dark eyes, a gifted singer and dancer, fluent in French, Italian, and Spanish.

Details of their relationship are sketchy. Where does the word 'dusty' come in? Read the sonnet.

More Sketchbook shots

These are the final pages of my book for The Sketchbook Project. I'm having separation anxiety as this book became part of my daily life. There were so many themes to choose from- I chose "Make Mine A Double" so I thought it fitting to have me and my gal pal Cha Cha (clearly a nickname) sipping a Scorpion bowl-ish beverage. Double trouble.

More Dell Movies

Due to a Blizzard here in the Northeast, I was unable to fly out to Chicago for filming this- soooo, all my illustrations but not my hand doing the demo this time (still my hand in the Bethenny and Jenn D movies though!)  Still very fun to be a part of this. So check out all 4 celebrity movies (Kathy Buckworth, Sheldon Williams, Bethenny, and Jenn D.)

Click the image below and it will bring you to the site.

Illustration Friday: Déjà vu

I'm guessing Queen Victoria had a lot of those "gee, I feel like this has happened before" moments. She had 9 children and 42 grandchildren (despite the fact that she hated being pregnant and was repulsed by breast-feeding.) And in her extremely long reign as queen (longer than any woman in history) there were 7 assassination attempts on her life. One odd little fact about Victoria- she had "Bishopophobia."