Old-Timey Dresses I

I am obsessed with old-timey things.[1] When I was a kid I would draw dresses all of the time. I was obsessed with fashion and fashion history.[2] Now, instead of drawing dresses, I watch very opulent period pieces and read historical romance novels.[3] However, this week I have returned to my childhood pastime. Here is the result!

I have definitely been feeling the whole Marie Antoinette vibe lately so I started with a shape that would have been popular during that time period (1700s). I did a basic outline and then layered on colors from there. I used white to blend. I got paranoid about blending with my fingers since I wasn’t really sure how toxic oil pastels are. Cautious blending aside, I still ended up touching them. Pray for my health, y’all.

During my old-timey dress-drawing extravaganza I made split second decisions and then just went with it. I didn’t agonize over my lines, shapes, or colors. I just drew, colored, and blended. If I messed up, I got over it and kept going. And it was FUN. I HAD FUN! DRAWING! WITH POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS MATERIALS! YAY ART!

This will be the first in a series of dresses. To prepare yourself for the magic of my 2D dresses, find and read this book. It is heartwarming AF.

[1] Please do not get it twisted. I am fully aware that the past was full of oppression, an extreme lack of hygiene, and terrible people. The time periods I love (read: all of them) would be an awful time for me to have actually been alive unless I was ballin’ out of control, and white, and a man, with a bunch of land to be worked by brown people or very poor white people. For free.

[2] I love pretty dresses! Yes, I know the undergarments were ridiculous and a health hazard. BUT THE DRESSES WERE SO PRETTY! Can I live?

[3] Spare me any drama regarding my reading choices.