Sledding around NAU

So this one night Lyd and I go out playing in the snow with our friends.
I notice that everywhere we go the ground is covered in snow. So I
decide to pull Lyd along in the sled we had. I decided I’d pull her
along behind me as long as there was enough snow and ice to easily sled
her around. It turned out that there was enough snow and ice around the
campus to go across campus from north to south without having to stop

sledding. Such a good memory.

This painting was done as a birthday gift for her. In my own
cartoon-y-ish style I recreated the event. I threw NAU’s old main in
there to reference the location. It was a little difficult to recreate
myself in a stylized way that I feel Lydia is created. So my image is a
little more realistic due to the fact I am not aware of how my
characteristic facial expressions and how mannerisms come across. I
worked from still images for my portrait. It was a lot easier to create
Lydia’s character because I am aware of the nuances that make her who
she is.

I haven’t painted in a while. I stayed diligent about breaking down the
image from back to front and working in layers of colors from neutral to
more vibrant colors.

Researching images and looking at photos of NAU made me really miss the
NAU campus and the snow-play in the sometimes crazy snofall winters.
Every three to five years(?) there is a lot of snowfall.