Illustration Friday: Moon

I had a little nut tree,

And nothing would it bear,

But a silver nutmeg

And a golden pear.

The king of Spain's daughter

Came to visit me

All for the sake

Of my little nut tree.

As I was thinking about last week's Illustration Friday prompt I had a sudden mental image of the little tree, its branches bare against the moon, its fruits decorated with bows. I've always loved this rhyme, and moonlight seemed to fit its magical feeling.  I first drew the tree with leaves and no bows, because I didn't want to suggest that the fruits were only tied on, but the fruit didn't show up well and the moon looked uncomfortably trapped, so I erased and went back to my first idea.

I did a lot of erasing in this drawing. I thought a simple pencil drawing would go fast, but it didn't. I'm not happy with it in a bunch of ways, but I worked hard on it (maybe too hard) and it could have been worse. It's time to get back to my bluebirds and my crucifix carving project. I heard an artist say the other day that their favorite piece is always the one they are going to paint next. I think my least favorite is probably always the one I just finished.

The King of Spain's daughter I based on the Infanta Margarita Teresa, the blonde princess in several portraits by Velasquez, the most famous being Las Meninas.