Sonntagskind

Elisabeth Amalia Evgenia, Princess of Bavaria, later Empess of Austria and Queen of Hungary was born in Munich 172 years ago. She was an extraordinary woman who was ahead of her time and died as extraordinarily as she lived.
On Christmas Eve 1837 she was only a little princes, a chrismas angel for her family and, given the circumstances of her birth, a child who was expected to have a happy life.

Here are some drawings based on her photos and portraits that I have not come around to posting here yet:

Hidden in the title is my video dedicated to Elisabeth (the waltz is known to anzone here, it is taken from a well-known film (an adaptation of Chechov's short story) which I ironically have not seen, but the waltz is very well known even to me ;-)) I think it passes well to Elisabeth's story too).

Drawings

Pity I can't give out any Christmas-themed ones here (yet). Those for whom they are might see them too early. So just a little one. Drawing is so relaxing and reassuring!

Sunday evening

No, I'm not ill, but I don't feel particularly well either :(

Happy International Women's Day

We are not celebrating at home, I'm not having an extra day off all the same, for I don't have classes on Monday. But I thought I'd have a day free of translating and preparing for classes. And I spend the day drawing flowers...

And a goodbye to winter.

Oh, Felicity!

I'm on a drawing binge today (and it feels really relaxing for I haven't taken my pencils out for ages!) and, looking through the collection of numerous bits and pieces in my folder, I discovered this face:I sketched her about two years ago when I was still working in the old office, during some quick pause between translating commercial correspondence (I was listening to "A Story Girl" from librivox.org at the time). When we were moving office, I saved this one as well as some others, and in the depths of my folder it was kept till today. It seems just yesterday I did it and it seems at least two lives ago at the same time...

I posted another Felicity portrait last summer but there she is "Felicity a couple of years after the events in the book", neatly dressed and with a grown up air, and here she's exactly the girl Peter admired so much, and (remember her cooking talent?) she's even wearing an apron :-)

Another drawing

Maybe you remember a pencil sketch of a house in a wood I posted last year. Colour version to be framed and given to Grandma for Christmas!

Glass Castle drawing

As usual, only a small part of the castle is to be seen... :-/ The quality is so so because it was in a notebook and the part near the spine did not scan well. I've filled half on a thick notebook and a thin notebook writing the "darft of the draft", maybe, I can be through this year? ;-)

Maya in Farbe

Made a colour version of Maya's portrait. I have one more Maya-related creative project in my mind, but it will take some time to make it :-)

Happy Birthday, Maya!

(Free based on the "Maya goes Solo" album cover).

Maya is wonderful: she has a unique expressive voice, warm and stress-relieving. She's very conciencious and professional when it comes to her roles and concerts. She's friendly, charming and elegant. She makes you think "I want be like you", for she's a modern talented woman who managed to balance a successful career and happy family life. She's just great!

Herzliche Glueckwuenche zum Geburtstag, Maya! Viel Weitererfolg in deiner Karriere und Glueck und Harmonie im Privaten! Danke fuer alle schoene Stunden, die deine Kunst schenkt!

My Favourite Things

Continiung today's posting binge I put up one more drawing here. It is an illustration for "My favourite things" from "The Sound of Music" which I did in early summer immediately after I watched the DVD. Loved it, and some of the enjoynment might be becuase I had been to salzburg and could recognize some locations!

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"My favourite things" is such a sweet and cosy song!

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Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,

bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens,

brown paper packages tied up with strings,

these are a few of my favorite things.

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels,

door bells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles.

Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings.

these are a few of my favorite things.

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes,

snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes,

silver white winters that melt into springs,

these are a few of my favorite things.

When the dog bites, when the bee stings,

when I'm feeling sad,

I simply remember my favorite things,

and then I don't feel so bad.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,

bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens,

brown paper packages tied up with strings,

these are a few of my favorite things.

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels,

door bells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles.

Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings.

these are a few of my favorite things.

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes,

snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes,

silver white winters that melt into springs,

these are a few of my favorite things.

When the dog bites, when the bee stings,

when I'm feeling sad,

I simply remember my favorite things,

and then I don't feel so bad.

Wieder Fanart... I mean, fan-art again...

Inspired by the song hidden in the link (a bonus track from the Stuttgart "Elisabeth" CD, sung by Karin Seyfried and Maike Boerdam, snippets from various Elisabeth versions in the video). The song title "Zwischen Traum und Wirklichkeit" means "Between Daydream and Reality"

Elisabeth in Hungarian dress

Here's a colour version of the Elisabeth drawing I posted recently:

I used two photos for this drawing but it's more like my free version of Elisabeth based on the photos, not a copy :-)

Elisabeth as queen of Hungary, 1866, several months before the coronation

Elisabeth and a dog

Drawings brought from the river criuse

No claims for artistic value, it just was so nice having a notebook and a pencil/pen after a long pause and after typing and looking at the screen a lot!

A general view of a town on a river. Purely from imagination based on old impressions (I did it at the very beginning of the cruise before we stopped anywhere)
Two friends. People usually smile looking at these two
A chicken who run away from his mum into the nearby forest and decided to entertain himself by reciting poems (I have a story about him)
This has no artistic value, but I tried to fix general view from the ship'd deck. Love this kind of travelling

Elisabeth, as Queen of Hungary here (I used two photos from the book, the official photo in coronation dress and also the photo with a dog I like very much. but it's more not a copy, more of an Elisabeth-themed drawing)
Elisabeth (again, I used a portrait as a pattern (by Franz Schrotberg, with a blue ribbon, but in my drawing she looks older than her 25 in the portrait)
This took two minutes at most :-)
A made-up still-life
I was really really touched by a sad cat lying on the gangboard when we were stopping in rainy Uglich. Never I will be able to forget her. Strangely enough, it seemed as if the cat was waiting for someone, like a dog waits for a person it loves (like dog Monday waited for Jem "In Rilla of Ingleside". Maybe, once it will turn into a story of a cat's love and loalty...)

The words run: "HELP HOMELESS CATS"

Birdie

It's from older drawings, about 2 years old, made based on a photo from "Vogel im unseren Garlen" - "Birds in our Garden" books.

Fuer Isabella zum Geburtstag

Liebe Isa!

Ich wuensche Dir alles, alles Gute zum Geburtstag, alles, wovon Du traeumst und viel mehr! Zum Beispiel zum Jane Austen Festival in Bath fahren ;-) You are such a lovely person that you truly deserve it :-)

Deine Irina

P.S. Das Original schicke ich mit dem naechsten Brief!

I am a bad teacher

I picked up a too difficult text for the 2nd year exam. The bad thing is that I could not consult anyone at the Uni beforehand: all the teachers were away, so there was no time to change it really after I showed it to the head of the department. Now I feel awfully incompetent and unprofessional and guilty. Even afraid to touch the papers I am to mark. --------------- A song from musical Elisabeth and a drawing I did this night as I could not sleep (inspired by the song).
Ich wollt ich wäre wirklich du In der Zwangsjacke statt im KorsettDir schnür'n sie nur den Körper einMir fesselt man die SeeleIch habe gekämpftUnd mir alles ertrotztUnd was hab ich erreicht?Nichts, nichts, gar nichtsDenn die einzige Lösung wär der WahnsinnUnd die einzige Rettung wär der SturzEs lockt mich der AbgrundIch möchte michFallen lassen -Warum schaudert mir vor dem Sprung?Wär ich nicht verdammt dazuElisabeth zu seinDann wäre ich TitaniaUnd würde lächeln, wenn man sagtSie ist verrücktIch steh auf dem SeilUnd die Angst macht mich krankDenn schau ich nach unten, seh ichNichts, nichts, gar nichtsIch taste mich weiterMit suchendem SchrittUnd fürchte mich immer vor demNichts, nichts, gar nichtsWirklich frei machtwahrscheinlich nur der WahnsinnDoch zum WahnsinnFehlt mir der MutSo spiel ich die StarkeUnd tu was ich tuAls wär dieses Leben mehr alsTäuschung, Irrtum, BetrugAls wärNichts, nichts gar nichtsGenug

Special post for Paula

Dear Paula,

plese forgive me for forgetting your birthday, I hope you had a lovely day and please tell me I am not too late! This teddy lady brings you a tulip, and tulips from granny's garden for you too!

HAPPY BELATED!

Heutige Prinzessin

Today's darwing: princess with a rose in her hair (How typical of me!). Gel pen and oil pencils on brown cardboard.

Here it comes

A slight sketch of Thornfield ruins and Jane

Inspired by Jane Eyre

Proves I'm impressed. Otherwise I wouldn't have tried sketching her likeness!