Photo Friday: Cartwheels on the Mall

Happy photo Friday, DMV! It’s July 10.

A quick note: I’m taking next week off for part one of my summer vacation. So I won’t send the newsletter July 13-17, and I’ll be back on July 20. It makes me nervous to step away from my newsletter, but I do need the rest.

Today, I bring you an illustration from reader Brian Howell, 42, of Fairfax City, Virginia.

“I'm currently taking an illustration course as a way of expanding my art practice, and I had a recent assignment to illustrate a ‘slice of life’ where I live. As a reference for the drawing, I used a photo of my daughter enjoying a beautiful day on the Mall,” he wrote.

I reached out to him to ask to see the photo as a comparison, and after searching around, he said he “realized it was actually a video — from one of the first really lovely days of Spring this year.”

He sent me his fun family video, from which I took this screenshot.

“My girls and I had gone to the Natural History museum in the afternoon, and when we came out, Lily (6) and her sister Chloe (4) just wanted to run around and do cartwheels,” he wrote. “Those moments of spontaneous joy are so wonderful to watch as a parent.”

He also sent me a video of his drawing process, from which I took a few more screenshots.

“The illustration is a digital drawing that I did in Procreate, with an iPad and the Apple pencil. I started with a few ideas before I settled on the cartwheel image. I've been drawing and painting for a long time, typically more ‘realistic’ work, but have wanted to find more room for play and whimsy in my art — someday I'd love to do a children's book — so that's what inspired me to take the course.”

Share your photos of comfort, joy and community in the DMV here.

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