Jennifer Tefft: All Of These Crimes

Art for All These Crimes by Jennifer Tefft. Her music is so inspiring, my pencil just flows as if on its own accord. This was done in ink and watercolor. You can learn more about Jenn and her music here:
www.jennifertefft.com/

or here:
facebook.com/JenniferTefftBand

direct to this song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNLq1Uv7jTw

Ranavalona

Ranavalona I, also know as Ranavalo-Manjaka I, was a sovereign of the Kingdom of Madagascar from 1828 to 1861.

Although there are stories of her executing her own people (by boiling them and throwing their bodies off a cliff) for appearing in her dreams, I find the most fascinating controversy of her reign to be the Tangena ordeal.

One of the many brutal ways she maintained order within her Queendom was through the practice of "trial by tangena" Tangena is a poison extracted from a nut. It was ingested by the person on trial, with the outcome determining innocence or guilt. If you were to throw it up, you were innocent, if you died... well, guilty as charged.

Through slavery and torture, she killed off about 1/3 of her people.

Guest Illustrator

I've been asked to be a guest illustrator at an event put on by Creative Relay: "Reinventing the Illustrator". For more information or tickets visit HERE.

I also wrote an article for their blog- which you can read HERE. It's titled "My Never Ever List: top five things you should never ever do as an illustrator."

Marjorie Bruce

Marjorie Bruce, although her father was Robert "the" Bruce, she didn't exactly lead a cushy life as the daughter of a king. 
Kept in a cage by Edward I for over a year, sent to a nunnery by Edward II for 8 years- and finally set free in 1314... only to be given to Walter Stewart as a "reward" at the age of 18.

A year later she went into premature labor after a riding accident and gave birth to a son, Robert II of Scotland. Her last words were "He's a laddie; I ken he's a laddie; he will be King." She died a few hours later.


Click the image for a larger view.