Diane Irby 12/31/24 Diane Irby 12/31/24

Swatch System Template

I designed this swatch system for my alcohol markers. I am offering the template as a free download so you can make a set of swatch cards for yourself. Just right click on the image, save it to your computer, and print as many as you need.

Diane Irby 12/18/24 Diane Irby 12/18/24

Alcohol Marker Blending Techniques Practice Worksheet

I created this practice worksheet to demonstrate some alcohol marker blending techniques. You can use it for practice. Just right click on the image to save it and/or print it out.

Diane Irby 6/20/24 Diane Irby 6/20/24

The Double Silhouette: Celebrating Pride Month through the Victorian Hairwork of Sylvia Drake and Charity Bryant

The Double Silhouette: Celebrating Pride Month through the Victorian Hairwork of Sylvia Drake and Charity Bryant

The Double Silhouette, housed at the Henry Sheldon Museum, stands not only as a beautiful testament to 19th-century hairwork artistry and silhouette creation, highlighting the era's intricate craftsmanship, but also celebrates the enduring love story of Sylvia Drake (1784-1868) and Charity Bryant (1777-1851), two remarkable women whose relationship continues to inspire and resonate today. Having lived as a married couple for over forty years, their unique double portrait is considered one of the earliest known images of a same-gender couple in America. The two women are buried together at Weybridge Hill Cemetery, sharing a single tombstone that commemorates their life together.

Diane Irby 5/18/24 Diane Irby 5/18/24

Think of a tea set made of a lover’s hair!

An article featuring Linherr & Co.’s hairwork display at the 1853 New York Crystal Palace Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations published in the Gleason's Pictorial Drawing-Room Companion is both fantastic and informative, helping us date the introduction and popularity of hairwork as an art form in the United States.