Illustrated Envelopes

When I was a sophomore in high school, I came down with a raging case of mononucleosis, so severe that it gave me a mild case of Hep B and my tonsils had to come out as soon as I was healthy enough for surgery.

I came down with it at a youth group lock in on a weekend in January, in Brunswick, Georgia. My first love and I had gone all the way the afternoon before a friend and I drove down from Augusta for it. My love and I both came down with it, and his mother (a registered nurse) had to bring a hospital bed into their living room—he was too weak to climb the stairs. But that’s another story that’s part of every story.

I had a lot of friends from summer camp, and when I wasn’t sleeping (quarantined to my room, no tv) I read and wrote. I read novels and wrote poetry and letters. I put my rudimentary illustrations on the envelopes, in magic marker.

I’ve recently bought some colored pencils and started sketching/doodling/drawing again, and I have a pen pal this month, and I’ve been revisiting decorating envelopes this week. The lead image is my envelope fronts and here are their respective backs:

I’m not much of an artist, but it’s incredibly enjoyable. 🙂