Popping up in Tony's iPad drawings

I am forever using my phone to take photos of my everyday life, from yummy meals to weekend adventures and baking successes but I can't remember the last time Tony took a photo with his phone. Instead, he prefers to draw things he has seen and wants to remember.




Sometimes he'll draw things we've done together, like attending an art exhibition or a friend's baby shower. Other times I'll spot funny things we've both seen in his drawings, and once he drew the exact same thing I photographed.

It's a bit of a running joke that our photo albums will one day be filled with photos of food and Tony on holidays because I'm constantly asking him to pose for photos and not vice versa. So today I thought I'd share some of my favourite drawings that Tony's made of me over the years.

Most of the time Tony draws from life and when we're at home, which means that I'm almost always wearing my pyjamas, with my phone, iPad or laptop nearby - sometimes all three! I think I look like Animal from the Muppets in this one :)

Every now and then, I'll ask Tony to draw something, like me as a doona-hogging burrito.

Other times he'll have a specific pose or image in mind, which can mean sitting very still for an hour or two while I am being drawn (I usually read). I had the worst pins and needles after this drawing, which he drew so he could make this image.

Because I love taking photos with my phone, I asked Tony whether he might share a few thoughts on drawing with a phone instead. Here's what he said:

‘It's mainly because I'm better at drawing than I am at photography. The other reason is that I want to get better at drawing. Drawing is the core of my art practice and if I'm drawing as often as I can, then I'll get better at it and I’ll be strengthening my work.' 

'Also with iPhones and iPads, drawings can act like digital photographs and be shared on social media or emailed to a friend or participant of one of my projects.' 

And something sweet - every now and then Tony will print one of his drawings as a gift. He gave this drawing of his newborn nephew to his brother and sister-in-law and for our first wedding anniversary, he gave me a print of a drawing he made for me while we were living in different towns :)