Happy Family: The Loving Moment

This was such an awesome family to end an awesome week with! The first reason I was drawn to the Browns was because I liked how Angela talked about being in love with her husband! I really wanted to do one piece with love as the concept. On top of that, how could I resist illustrating a man in uniform? Seriously. I once created an illustration for my sister and her husband, who is a pilot. Still one of my favorites… and I think it has something to do with the uniform! What is it? Plus Angela’s concept was fantastic. I so identified with it! I thought MANY of you would too! Hear her speak:

If I had to title our life it would be ’How did we get here?!? (then subtitled) I wouldn’t have it any other way!’ I would like to see our happy but busy family being pulled in all directions with mom (a jewelry sales woman) and dad (a police officer) in the middle in love trying to find our rare moment together! I love the business of a big family, but I find it comical that we have to try to have a loving moment with a kid on our hip (usually Amara, our mommy-crazed youngest) and one pulling on our leg (usually Aubrey our sensitive and sweet oldest), a spilled drink on the floor (usually done by Alaina, our creative middle child) while answering the phone for work!

I don’t know if this is possible to draw, but I’m beginning to think it is a normal feeling to lose yourselves in your young family activities and forget how to be a couple. (What did we talk about and do together before kids?!?)

Great questions Angela! See what I mean? She had it all mapped out for me! I just had to click on my mouse a few times! What a great concept! The only liberality I took was to give Alaina (the creative one) a few crayons to spill instead of milk! Thank you for inspiring me Angela and her beautiful family! What a great way to wrap up this week!

By the way, I think those little girls were some of the most fun little people I’ve illustrated— ever!!

Thank you to everyone who entered the contest! I read every one of your entries, and as noted before, I seriously wanted to do an illustration for each of you! You had SO many good ideas!! I mean just brilliant! For a moment I thought about just doing all of your families over the next couple of months. But then, I realized I might actually die if I did this. Not only did I work more hours than any other week combined, but this week was probably my most intense week. Which is partially what made it so fun! I had the added “pressure” of creating images that somewhat resembled your families, and trying to play psychologist a little bit and get inside the brain and mood of each family in order to depict you correctly…. plus, I REALLY wanted these to be loved for the families who would receive them. As I would send them off each night, I would just hold my breath until I’d get a response. I was shocked by how appreciative everyone was. I guess I wasn’t expecting that. Thank you everyone! I’ll be thinking of other fun things we can do together later this year! You really made accomplishing the first 100, a special and fun accomplishment!

Back tomorrow with something new!

Hugs!
Katie