A few weeks ago I became friends with someone on FB who, upon learning that I’m an artist, asked me if I would draw his picture. I was a bit taken aback at first, because I didn’t even know this person, and you hear a lot of artists saying, “Never do work for free!” But I’d recently been hearing the flip side of the issue, like Will Terry who says “You SHOULD work for free!” Personally that resonates with me more than those who keep harping on the fact that my time is valuable and I should be payed for every line I draw. I am lucky to be able to make a living with my artwork, but I also want to use my talents to have fun, and to make other people happy, even if it’s not bringing in any income.

So I said, “Sure, I’ll draw you.” I posted it on my FB page and tagged it #DrawYourFriends, and other friends started asking me to draw them too. I said, “Sure, I’ll put you on the list.” I felt that doing a quick sketch once a day or whenever I had free time was fun for me, a good warm-up to my illustration work, made my friends happy, and to be honest, drew attention to my artwork. And did I mention that it makes my friends really happy??

Now I have a list of people who want me to draw them and I’m trying to slowly get through it. Here are some of the beautiful people who make my life better by being in it (even virtually!). I am glad to get a chance to do something for them in return!