Medieval Maidens

The maidens in these drawings are from a much earlier era than the ones I've posted so far. These first two were inspired by an ancient book of fairy tales I once found. I loved the old styles of hair and clothing, and the lethargic poses in the illustrations! This is called "Waiting for the Frog Prince." The princess has lost her golden ball in the pond and the frog prince is soon to retrieve it for her.

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I call this one "Waiting for the Beast," as in Beauty and the Beast. I think this must be after she began to fall for the Beast because she appears much too relaxed to be afraid. Maybe even a little bored. Her feet are on a footstool, for goodness sake!

Back in the 1970s or 80s there was a miniseries on television called "The Six Wives of Henry the Eighth." There were pictures in the TV Guide of the actresses who played his various wives. I was fascinated by the clothing, so naturally I had to draw myself as some of them. Not that the idea of being married to a self-centered, lecherous, murderous old man was appealing, but the whole notion of being spoiled royalty seemed so enchanting!

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Here is a second drawing taken from another unfortunate Henry the Eighth wife. Her cleavage is a little less startling than the last, but that was actually the style of the period. Anyone who has been to the Renaissance Festival can attest to that.

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I remember the first time we took our young children to the festival: their eyes about popped out when they saw some of those ladies' bodices. But then, my ex-husband's eyes also popped out of his head!

This is the first of three maidens I found drawn together on a sheet of notebook paper. This lady is very angry, for reasons unknown. Probably a scene from a book I was reading at the time. Don't you think she has "Bette Davis Eyes"?
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Here we have a cloaked heroine. The upswept hair is different. I remember experimenting with the cloak blowing off to the side and revealing the skirt.

Here is another royal medieval lady. I think the thick braids look kind of cool. I also like the woven lace theme in the bonnet, bodice, and sleeves.
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Here are the threesome together on the notebook paper where I found them. I notice that every drawing in this post was sketched on lined paper. I must have been in a very sketchy mood.

Okay, I know this one doesn't match my ongoing theme here, but I honestly don't know where else to put her! She SO does not fit with my usual subject matter. I vaguely recall seeing a picture of this girl in a magazine or somewhere, and she was so perky and cute I just had to draw her (and give her my hair!).

What's funny about this sketch is that I totally HATED being in band myself! I played clarinet for 5 years, which I also hated with a passion. My dad played clarinet and saxophone in high school and insisted I follow in his footsteps, even though I begged to play flute.

When I became a sophomore and learned on the first day of school that I'd have to march on the field wearing those "ugly" (at least in my opinion back then) uniforms, I quit band that very day. I never went back. I chose to face my dad's wrath over the utter humiliation I felt at the very idea! However, my dad was surprisingly mild in his disappointment.

Suffice it to say, all three of my children were allowed to choose their own instruments!