Mugwort! Yum!

A 17th Century recipe for Plague Water.
Just click the image for a larger view.

self portrait.

this was like therapy. click the image for a larger view.

Julia Child

Top secret project- more info to come soon.

Madame Catastrophe

The talented Jennifer Tefft has a new single out- you can listen and learn here: http://www.jennifertefft.com/

Here's the art that will accompany the single. Sooooo fun to work with her.

illustrated history adventure

New Historical Illustration Blog has been launched!!! I've found that I get so much reward out of doing research on various historical figures, that I'm dedicating a new blog to the fun facts I find and creating illustrations to accompany each post. Please stop by and check it out! Just posted yesterday- Princesse de Lamballe!

Click HERE to see the new History Witch blog.

you stink- here's a castle.

Anne of Cleves (1515-1557) was Henry VIII’s 4th wife. Sort of. The marriage was never consummated. According to Henry (who at the time had a leg ulcer that smelled so foul it could clear out a castle) said that he was so repulsed by her “evil smells” and appearance, that he couldn’t “get it up.”

She was then crowned “Queen Consort” and given a fabulous castle and settlement upon their annulment. That castle was Hever Castle- the home of Henry’s former in-laws, the Boleyns.

If you ask me, she was the winner here- not only did she get to keep her head (unlike poor Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard) she didn’t have to actually sleep with that giant, fowl-smelling glutton of a man. She outlived Henry and all of his wives and is the only one of his women to be buried in Westminster Abbey.

Sad or Sinister?

Ahhh.. the lovely Anne Boleyn. She's always bothered me a bit- seducing a married man, already seduced by her sister, and proven political pawn. I think she knew what she was doing (meaning, I don't think she was dumb enough to think it was all an accident.) Afterall- she did dress in yellow to celebrate the death of Catherine of Aragorn (Henry's first wife.) Evil!

Interesting little tidbit about her death... Henry, in an act of mercy (whatever), had her sentence commuted from burning to beheading. Also- he couldn't have her beheaded with a commoner's axe but brought in Jean Rombaud, an expert swordsman to perform the execution. She was beheaded while kneeling upright, and Jean said "where is my sword?" to distract her as he swiftly took her off with one clean blow. There was no proper burial or even a coffin. Pretty horrible ending for the mother of Elizabeth I.

Two weeks later, fatso married Jane Seymour.  Click the image for a larger view.

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.


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Westminster Abbey

This was a true labor of love. I've always wanted to learn more about Westminster Abbey, and this was a great way to do it. Next step--- a visit!! I need to plan a trip for next year. I think I would be completely speechless walking through this much history.

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Elisabeth of Austria

Elisabeth was first married by proxy on October 22, 1570. After long celebrations, she left Austria accompanied by high-ranking German nobles. Once in French territory, the roads were impassable thanks to the constant rain. This caused the decision that the wedding was to be celebrated in a small border town far from Paris. The King, curious about his future wife, dressed himself as a soldier and observed her incognito, and was very happy with what he saw. Alas... it was, unfortunately, a loveless marriage and Elisabeth busied herself with embroidery.

Click the image for a larger view.

FB Fan Page

Follow me on Facebook- just started a fan/business page here: http://www.facebook.com/LisaGravesDesign

Thank you for the support!