Saturday, October 30, 2010

that's entertainment

It's been a slow couple of weeks drawing wise. I've been having some work done on my house and I've realised that any disruption to the tranquility of my solitude means that drawing just does not happen. But, I do, of course, still have the book illustrations to share.

It just so happens that I live five minutes down the road from a place called Lyme Park, which is where the BBC's adaptation of Pride and Prejudice was filmed. It is, quite frankly, THE only adaptation you'll ever need to see (we all remember the lake scene, right girls?). Anyway, as a little nod to that, I made Lyme Hall the house in the Jane Austen story that I illustrated (it also appears in THIS drawing and THIS one). I absolutely love weaving all this stuff into my illustrations. Packing them full of references, messages and clues. There's plenty more in this drawing. Maybe you can spot some?

16 comments:

K said...

I just love this illustration, Andrea! It just says Jane Austen so very well! I love her pose, and the border is wonderful, too!

Fourborne said...

You are so right about the BBC's adaptation. I love it! First I had it on VHS now I have it on DVD. Pride & Prejudice is in my top ten list of books. Great illustration. You are so lucky to live so close to such beautiful grounds.

MrCachet said...

Besides being a wonderful illustration, this could make a great bookplate as well.

liz said...

Thank you for this beautiful post, it made me happy. Being an painter myself, I should also look for more solitude than I do now

la comédie said...

nice post

blue roses said...

This is just beautiful! I love Jane Austen, and I love this illustration. It's perfect.

Kay said...

The border is lovely. The very clean lines really complement Jane Austen's style. I really do enjoy visiting your blog, it's so inspiring.

Unknown said...

Such an elegant drawing. I heard a piece on Radio 4 the other day about Jane, saying she was the first writer to write as people spoke and as a result, her work was heavily edited by her publisher. They said far from diminishing her status as a writer, it elevated her greatness, making her more human too.

kazumiwannabe said...

Such a beautiful piece - you need to be published, your work is just too good.

andrea joseph's sketchblog said...

Thank you, folks.

MrCachet, I'm slightly embarassed to say that I didn't even know what a bookplate was. So, I did a little research, and was surprised to see (on Wikipedia) one very similar to this! It's the 'bookplate of Jane Patterson' on the bookplate page.

Funnily enough, for this illo, I was drawing from the back of a playing card. I copied so much of it then made up the rest. Thanks for telling me about bookplates. I now love them!


Cheers, me dears.

Rachel Hoyt said...

I love how the "frame" is a mirror image of itself both vertically and horizontally. The hunt for hidden treasures within your work is always pleasing to me. :o)

Rhyme Me a Smile

alissaduke said...

I also immediatley thought "bookplate" when I saw this lovely piece

Sarah-E said...

I've been wondering where I can buy this book with your gorgeous illustrations...

Mona said...

You are blessed.

Sarah Ketelaars said...

Lovely Andrea. It is my favourite book and we are about to watch the series again, this time with my daughters (aged 11 and 14) i love this drawing, it should be used in an edition of the book, perfect!

Rebecca Kohn said...

This would make a perfect bookplate! If you'd like to know more about bookplates, here's an enjoyable blog:

http://bookplatejunkie.blogspot.com/

I really enjoy your illustrations and your blog.