Amanda Kastner⬥StorySeamstress

There was a fearful mess in the room, and piles of unwashed crocks in the kitchen. Nearly every pot and pan he possessed seemed to have been used. We spent the weekend at the lake, and I happened to pick up The Hobbit for the first time in several years. I love the beginning--Bilbo's harried politeness to the uninvited guests and his dismay at the large amounts of washing-up the next morning. But really, what else can you expect when you have a houseful of hungry dwarves over for breakfast? Pencil sketch, digital color

What is a diary? According to Gwendolen, it is . . . I never travel without my diary.  One should always have something sensational to read in the train. --Gwendolen, from The Importance of Being Earnest I started on my thumbnail sketch and was suddenly reminded of this painting by Jean-Honore Fragonard. So, I looked up the image and somewhat modeled my painting's composition and color scheme after "The Reader." I used my trusty faber-castell pens because I was too lazy to get out my dip pen. :) After I painted it, I scanned it in and added a few highlights in Painter--I have a terrible time keeping highlights in watercolors. When I saw this week's word at Illustration Friday , several diary-related quotes (besides the one I decided to illustrate) instantly came to mind: