I just finished up this painting this morning, and I’m so happy with how it turned out! It’s Elinor and Marianne– The Dashwood sisters from Sense and Sensibility. I’m continuing my collection of Jane Austen characters (I’ve already got an “Emma” and “Lizzie” that you can now buy in my etsy shop.)
This was a fun painting to take on because the sisters are so different in personalities, but I wanted it to really look like ‘these girls are sisters.’ So often, poor Elinor gets painted as a plain wallflower and Marianne the startling and luscious beauty, but I wanted to do better for Elinor than that. I used the same color palette for their features, but tried to convey their different personalities in their expressions and body language.
While I was making the painting, I was showing some photos of the process on the Audrey Eclectic facebook page— here is the painting as it progressed:
What do you think? Can you tell who is Marianne and who is Elinor?
~H
Sleightholm Folk Art 
Eek, I love these so much! I assume Marianne has the free-spirited hair. ;o)
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Two of my favorite gals! The pics of the progress are great too. i wish I could paint better. Inspiring!
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What a beautiful rendition of these lovely ladies! They really do like sisters in your portrait. Of course level-headed Elinor is on the right and carefree Marianne on the left, correct? I agree that too often dear Elinor is cast in a less attractive light. I always identified more with her character. :)This is so neat to see your painting process, too!
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Love when you paint literary ladies! Beautiful job, Heather! x
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I love your interpretation of the Jane Austen classics! These girls are lovely in their strong sister likeness. Beautiful!
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You assume right! I always envision her that way…
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Thanks so much, Katie!~
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Never any question that it was Elinor on the right! She's one of my favorite Austen characters. So pretty, as always! I liked seeing your painting in progress, too.
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Love seeing the progress photos! It's so interesting how you started with a black base. Love the effect it gives! Beautiful!
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Oh! What a lovely piece! I think you captured them perfectly. Love the book. Love the movie. Love the story. Have you seen the BBC version from 2007? It's so well done and quite beautiful.
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You really did capture the essence of each sister. Marianne so free and dreamy, and Elinor so refined and quiet. Lovely painting!
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