I had a lovely time illustrating Sophie Andrews book, Be More Jane and it's now on sale. The book is full of the kind of lovely Jane Austen advice Jane herself would give, with lots of references to the books. Sophie is an excellent writer and I loved working with her. You can find out more about her here on her blog, Laughing with Lizzie.
Here's a little blurb from the publisher:
Are you more Marianne than Elinor, Lydia rather than Lizzy? Be More Jane will teach you to address life with more sense and less prejudice, taking useful lessons from the novels and letters of Jane Austen, one of the world’s best-loved writers. Times may change, but many of our problems remain the same. Sophie Andrews, a young Janeite, knows from personal experience that in times of trouble, or just on matters of friendship, family and love, answers are to be found in the pages of Miss Austen’s novels.
Here's a couple of images showing the rough drawing and the finished version of Lizzy walking to Netherfield. I loved the autumnal theme of this one.
I know Sophie loves wearing blue outfits herself and I wanted to show this in my painting. Of course Lizzy's hem is covered in three inches of mud, but she's skipping her way through it, without a care in the world.
Another favourite I enjoyed painting was one of the Dashwood sisters. Here are two more showing a before and after drawing and painting. I loved thinking about what their cottage might look like and about the kinds of objects that might be found on the shelf above the inglenook. Marianne is looking out of the window for Willoughby while Elinor does the mending and Margaret plays with some ivory letters. I couldn't resist adding the cat.
Finally, here's a video review by the lovely Meredith Esparza of Austenesque Reviews.