Fun with Classics

Anyone who knows me well, knows I that enjoy Jane Austen's stories.

I love her observational humour. I enjoy getting to know her characters

and "listening in" on their interactions. She just wrote good stories!

 

I was sitting with my sketchbook one evening,

not knowing what to draw but wanting to draw something

so I began with drawing a pair of eyes in the middle of the page,

I thought of the popular portrait of Jane Austen,

and added the dark hair, the mob cap,

the grey blue gown...

 

I liked the fun style of what I was doodling,

the oversized eyes - there was humour in it, a sense of fun.

I notched a crooked smile smirk onto her face

and I knew exactly what I was doing then...

 

My interpretation of Jane Austen, how I envisioned her

writing with a sense of whimsy, sarcasm, humour,

it was all here in this simple doodle.

 

It made me think of the words she gave her character

Catherine Morland in Northanger Abbey:

"Now I must give one smirk, and then we may be rational again."

 

I didn't stop with Jane Austen,

I developed drawings of Charlotte, Anne, and Emily Bronte.

I developed doodles of Charles Dickens and Elizabeth Gaskell.

I made caricatures of them all!

 

With Jane Austen being my favourite

I grabbed a canvas and started work on her painting first

 

This is how it turned out...

 

 

The text was added on the computer (using the Jane Austen Handwriting font),

after scanning in the original painting. When/if I sell the original, I will write the quote

in my own handwriting, which is somewhat similar to Miss Austen's.

 

I was so thrilled with how it turned out, my literary heart and creative mind

got to work on some other quotes to develop paintings around:

 

Pride & Prejudice's ridiculous Mrs. Bennet...

 

 

 

...and her witty husband, Mr. Bennet:

 

 

 As well as two of my favourite quotes,

first from the book, Emma - 

Mr. George Knightley:

 

and last but not least,

Sense & Sensibility's Marianne Dashwood:

 

 

All of these are 8x10" stretched canvas, acrylic paintings

will be available as prints at my upcoming show.

I may even decide to put the originals up for sale too.

 

I hope to add to this literary collection over the next few months

using my favourite quotes from various 19th century authors.

 

Wishing you all a good book and a good evening!

♥ Cath-