u/ArdenWestlea

“You’ve ruined Christmas.” I think that’ll be my new favorite holiday greeting.

Ultimately, I want to watercolor, but not anything that’s currently available such as flowers and birds. :) So I’m going to sketch out scenes from Emma, then trace them on my watercolor paper.

Might draw Emma falling into the fountain, or Hawkes rescuing her. I’ve done one of Agnes in the kitchen. Someone else mentioned May Day fireworks, and I’m working on that just for fun. This is all new to me, so I’m going for simple.

What other scenes/things would be great?

Who would you dress up as at an Emma party? Get creative, think outside the dress!

Apparently there’s an Emma gathering in UT in August. I’ll be visiting family close by at that time and might go…

EDIT: Here’s the link to buy tickets: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/stcrispiansteasociety/2238016

It’s all over instagram, I’m told, if you need more info. Tickets go on sale tomorrow and sell out in a day. It’s what I’ve heard. I can’t believe I found out about this the day before the tickets go on sale. It’s like Hawkes handed me a star. ⭐️

Here’s the dress code:
Summer dresses, heirloom silks, morning
robes — or simply whatever allows you
to revel comfortably in the evening air.
Costume is encouraged but never required.
Come as you wish to be received.

Here are my top two ideas that sound exciting:

(1) Islington’s Aunt (Countess of Alwick)-trousers, boots, pipe and portfolio of manuscript in hand. As an author myself, this is my fav idea so far.

(2) Mary Barriage dressed as a man to gamble with Jack—trousers, face cards in pocket, and perhaps some cheaters

Any ideas? Be bold.
I’m not opposed to putting a bird’s nest in my hair or traipsing around with a crown and sceptre, but I’d like to avoid a dress.

Thanks to https://www.reddit.com/r/EmmaLion/s/y5LzQEhy6Z for the ‘colouring’ page.

I loved painting the ground floor, and the storage area was probably my favourite with the barrels and the hanging herbs. But I love the daisies above the portrait of Islington as well.

On the first floor, seeing everything together makes me realise just how ridiculous Emma‘s sitting room is. She has a dark pink chair, a velvet dark green sofa, a golden yellow chair, yellow curtains, and then a rug from Tad Whitaker that is parrot blue with red lattice designs and green leaves on it. Emma’s sitting room colours are absolutely ridiculous—I have to agree with Aunt Eugenia on this one. All Emma is missing is orange, heaven forbid. I love the addition of the squeaky-wheeled tea trolley in the background. Also Parian and the fern were fun, and I know that the Lapis Lazuli door is blue only on the outside, but I couldn’t resist painting blue inside as well. Pierce‘s studio was fun to paint because it is in high contrast to the rest of everything else: dark brown leather chair, dark blue walls, dark red curtains and a plum sofa. Plus the rug from “some far flung place.” Emma said that he was painting over a light yellow on the walls and so I just assumed that maybe that whole floor was a light yellow.

For the second floor, I did my best to make Cousin Archibald’s rooms revolting, except I love the curtains. And the library—I drew in a cartographer’s map within the bookshelves.

The third floor: Couldn’t forget Parian’s violet trim addition to the light green walls with white flowers on them. And the small detail of Parian’s blue chair fading to purple…And his new shoes that Emma bought him! (Nice touch, original artist.)

The mysterious fourth floor was delightful as well.

The fifth floor, also known as the garret, was hard. We don’t have a description of Pierce’s quarters, but I assume they’re like the studio. I had to flip the top around because their shared East window looks upon the street (Whereabouts) which means Emma would be on the right side (south) and Pierce on the left (north), and we are looking in from the west side of the house (from the back garden). So I rearranged a little—this from previous research trying to draw Emma’s rooms. I botched Emma’s Turkish rug, but what can you do? I think Tybalt likes it. Also fun once again to see the contrast of Pierce’s dark brooding colours with Emma’s “seaside cottage” look.

All in all, this was a very fun project. Despite my lack of talent, it’s lovely to have Emma art to work with. Since watercolour paper is too thick to put in a printer (as I learned from many paper jams) I did a wintergreen oil transfer (I was out of acetone) and my painting space smelled minty for days. The end product was too blurry, so I ended up retracing the entire thing. Needless to say, I have extra appreciation for the work that went into every detail of this drawing, so well done to the originator of the work. Jolly good fun.