a (true) labour of love...

What is

'A Labour of Love' ??

A couple of weeks back, I was contacted

(by a local woman, via my FB page)

to work on a very special & top secret illustration job...

A series of water-colour cartoons

(a life in pictures) to accompany a Mother's loving speech to her son at his Wedding.

This project was very timely, as I am still recovering from recent hernia surgery,

and have been unable to get out and draw/busk in the street.

So, it meant I could work from the comfort of my purple couch, at home.

This little project became a "real labour of love" for me, seeing how much love

my client had for her son, and wanting to do something *very* special & unique for him.

If you look close enough at the cartoons, you'll see the blood, sweat & tears!!

I don't usually do watercolour in my cartoons... But, realising (very early on) the scope

and life of this project (and how much aroha was needed/expected),

I invested in a nice pad of watercolour paper, and worked my little heart out!

There were a few sleepless nights, and LOTS of coffee consumed...

The deadline was tight! But these pictures were a real joy to create!

And (perhaps?) some of the best work I have ever created

(in a career spanning nearly thirty years!!).

I hope my client doesn't mind me sharing them so publicly, now that the wedding is over.

I am very happy to report that she was SO happy with my work that she even paid

me a (much-appreciated!) bonus!! And she gave me a huge hug as I left, too.

I wish I could have been there, at the family wedding, seeing her proudly

tell her son's life-story, and holding up each of these cartoons as she did so. 

I am very grateful for some of the smaller

(but much bigger, if you know what I mean)

contracts and people that come to me through my work.

"Do what you love - Love what you do."

PS I am very happy to live in a country
where we leave the u in labour, making it "our".
The same with the word humour.

❤️