Weddings and pictures

Just before Easter, my cousin Jess married Dave in the trees on their property by the river in Nagambie (photos top and left are by my cousin Joanna Hiron). I posted about the invitation illustrations here: Victorian wedding. It was a beautiful wedding, full of music and family, flowers and lights, with small children and dogs underfoot and (I hear) some hay-bale tossing by late in the evening… and they printed the wedding invitation linework on the stubby holders, which was a first for my illustrations. A lovely weekend, followed by a vacation in Melbourne and road trip to Canberra with my mother (including sketching musicians in a hotel in Beechworth).

And on the topic of weddings, here is a little design I did as a gift for two friends, Thom and Lily (both photographers: http://thomascodyphotographics.wordpress.com ) who were married earlier of this year:

 

A Victorian Wedding Invitation

Last year my cousin Jess asked me to draw her save-the-date and wedding invitation, featuring some of their livestock. I was delighted to, and obliged with several pages of pencil sketches and chickens:

The save-the-date was drawn in pen-and-ink and had a very simple colour-scheme!

I don’t do typography, but I hand lettered these (I do enjoy hand lettering!).

For the invitation, Jess and Dave knew they wanted the dancing couple from the early sketches, but with a pink and purple colour scheme. I sent two variations, with my favourite at the top (some details removed).

There was a slight difference of opinion between the interested parties (more precision was indeed required, as the groom valued colouring between the lines and blue jeans), so when my cousins visited in January, we sat down and finalised the invitation below (some details removed):

It may also make appearances on other wedding accessories, but those are yet to appear…

Edit 6 April 2013: The linework from the invitation was printed on the stubby coolers for the wedding.

 

A Wedding Invitation

(View it larger here)

This is my illustration for the invitation to the wedding of the lovely Nicky Strickland and the slightly more elusive Damon Cavalchini. The commission was quite simple: lighthouse, mermaid, two Daleks and a Firefly reference. I drew it in pen and ink and coloured it on the (old!) computer – the colours are quite flat since it was to be printed on textured paper.

Here are the original thumbnail sketches (with bonus thumbnail!) if such things amuse you:

 

Illustration Friday: Bicycle

Since the royal wedding is all-pervading.

In other news: Why yes, I am going to watch the wedding, with (I am promised) trifle and our own running commentary since certain satirical coverages have been cancelled. My computer has been troublesome and the man at the store (for whom it worked perfectly) was astonished at its age (I am given to understand it now has retro chic). I stalked an old French man at the Borders closing sale until he admitted he was not buying the book I wanted – “It is just – the ’20s, I love them… but – too late!” he said, and I answered, “Cheer up, we’re almost there again.” I did let him finish looking through the book. I am not completely heartless. The rain and the flood commission continue. My sister brought some spot-on-CWA-perfect coconut cake home from work. I also have a picture of an echidna on an exercise bicycle but must reserve it for the opportune moment.

 

Kashelle’s Wedding

Kashelle and Andrew were married early in July, and it was a lovely wedding. Everyone involved was from church or family or friends. The MC was our current pastor, the officiant was the pastor when the couple met as well as the groom’s godfather, the music was provided by very musical friends and members of the Queensland Orchestra. The bride’s sisters did henna tattoos on her hands, friends did the flower arrangements, the mothers of home schooling families decorated the hall and everyone brought food which was more than adequate for 300+ guests. It was one of the loveliest, most relaxed, least insanely-expensive weddings I’ve been to, as well as being something of a reunion of people from the most unlikely places.

I’ve made the Flickr set with the original sketches for the invitations public. You can see now why I put this background on the invitation:

A digitally altered marker sketch for the order of service:

And something lighthearted for the thank yous:

The invitation isn’t in this shot because it is still somewhere in one of the boxes in my bedroom:

The bride and groom:

And on the back of the thank you cards is a sketch I made in church: