30 Film Females: The Queen (2006)

At this festive time of year, it’s serendipitous that the next film is this blog series is The Queen. I wouldn’t consider myself a royalist, but have a lot of respect for Her Majesty. I think many could say likewise after this staunch but sympathetic portrayal by national treasure Helen Mirren.

I had assorted ideas for this drawing, including the illuminated letters “ER” (Elizabeth Regina) and a special Brownie badge with a crown on it – I still remember the old Brownie promise from my youth, even if their colour scheme was more brown than pink in those days!  I wondered if anyone had done a portrait of the Queen in the style of Roy Lichenstein, but decided I didn’t have the materials to attempt it myself.  Instead, I doodled this pop art-ish alternative and based it on a bank note (sadly not a £50). I hope you can see the resemblance. It reminds me of the Queen character in 1989 animation of Roald Dahl’s book The BFG, which I’m giving my niece for Christmas (shhh!).

On that note, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Honourable mentions for 2006: Streep, Hathaway and Blunt in The Devil Wears Prada.  Also a charmingly juvenile Abigail Breslin in Little Miss Sunshine.

 

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30 Film Females: Labyrinth (1986 – again!)

I’m not even halfway thought this blog series yet, but sometimes I get ideas how to illustrate films for years I’ve already covered.  Labyrinth was a close runner-up to Aliens in 1986 and I wanted to draw a portrait of the central character, gamely played by a teenage Jennifer Connelly, in the style of a maze from a children’s puzzle book. I actually ended up using a simple single continuous line – can you discover where it starts and ends? I can’t find a decent copy of the photo I used as inspiration, but it was something like this, which was apparently the basis for this alternate plot twist – after a long day entertaining my toddler, I can sometimes empathise!  My drawing time coincides with TV catch-up and this picture was finished while watching The Descendants.

30 Film Females: Skyfall (2012)

It’s to the credit of Judi Dench that it’s difficult to remember previous portrayals of the M in the James Bond films. In the week that the 24th Bond film is announced, I’d like to celebrate the Dench era with her swansong in Skyfall.  In addition to a ridiculously catchy and Oscar-winning theme song by Adele, the film touches on the more emotional and maternal aspects of M and Bond’s relationship: “Orphans make the best recruits.”

Yet again, this drawing was started in our weekly toddler group and finished off in front of the TV (the final episode of The Driver) after toddler bedtime. I think I might try buying more colours and moving away from such graphic black and white scribblings.

Honourable mentions for 2012: this was a bumper year for action heroines (Brave, Looper, Prometheus, etc.), but particular kudos should go to Jessica Chastain’s dogged CIA agent in Zero Dark Thirty (and also Kathryn Bigelow as the first woman to win best director Oscar).  Also, Jennifer Lawrence establishes her character Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games as *the* new feminist icon.