Illustration Friday: Smart

I've never had this kind of smart baby. My four have been too impractical, too cautious or (in the case of my youngest) too well watched by bossy siblings. I have friends whose smart, adventurous, athletic babies have done this kind of scary thing--climbing nimbly out of cribs, unlocking doors to wander outside, even (when a very little bit older) climbing onto the roof of the house. I am content with my own more sedentary crew.

This baby is not in too much danger, though. You can see from the height of the birdbath that the window is not very far from the ground.

This drawing is actually the opening illustration for another story I've been working on while my bluebird story simmers on the back burner. (There are some dissonances in character and plot that I haven't been able to resolve to my liking. Perhaps I'm being persnickety, but leaving it alone for awhile should make that clear too.)

Speaking of persnickety, I'm bummed about the shadows from my wrinkled paper. I'm trying to figure out how to use Photoshop better and develop that professional polish, but this drawing has me stumped.