rama hughes

i want YOU to draw a self-portrait!

rama hughes & christine castro hughes

i (portrayed above) had surprises, a portrait party, presents, good friends, karaoke, a taco bar, cake, and dance-worthy joy. from morning to night, 34 was my best birthday ever. thanks to my wonderful wife (portrayed below).

derek somaru & rama hughes

to his credit, derek was playing wii when i drew his portrait (above). to my credit, he captured my physique perfectly (below).

christine castro hughes & derek somaru

this drawing of christine (above) reminds me of many, many video game battles. we play x-men fighting games on the x-box and her dark phoenix always slaughters me. and there's a connection! derek was playing nintendo when christine drew him (below).

rebecca whitener & christine castro hughes

rebecca (portrayed above) and christine (portrayed below) were in cahoots about my birthday surprise but i had a hunch that the whiteners were coming thanks to a mysterious nudge, nudge, wink, wink email from jeremy whitener. "i was just hoping you'd get laid!" he defended himself later.

derek somaru & rebecca whitener

derek (portrayed above) had never had a portrait party before. he was quick to find a gimmick: superheroes! that's the secret origin of battling becky (below).

emma & rachel

my students made a gigantic elaborately illustrated card to congratulate barack obama on his inauguration. emma (portrayed above) and rachel (portrayed below) drew each other for part of the project.

rama hughes & rebecca whitener

some of my best friends moved far away this year. i (portrayed above) was feeling kind of lonely because of it. so, i threw a party on my birthday to remind myself that i still have friends. surprisingly, some of my far away friends showed up for the festivities! rebecca (portrayed below) and her husband, jelly... er, jeremy, arrived in time for the pre-party portrait party.

tom pohlman & akiki watanabe

here's another beautiful swap from different strokes from different folks. tom painted akiko (above) and she painted him (below).

john vander stelt & carol feldman

john (portrayed above) shared this swap from 130 artist portrait party that karin jurick hosted last month. his portrait partner was carol (portrayed below).

don meagher & rama hughes

i realized recently that a good pose goes a long way at a portrait party. so, i wrapped my arms around my head for this one. my dad (portrayed above) paid exaggerated attention to it in his drawing of me (below).

christine castro hughes & lauren hughes

two more portraits by two of my favorite artists: my wife (portrayed above) and my mom (portrayed below).

christine castro hughes & rama hughes

our family admired these drawings of christine (portrayed above) and me (portrayed below). my wife and i have a lot of practice drawing each other though. at a portrait party, we're like the couple who plays charades so often that they're almost telepathic when family game night comes around.

lauren hughes & henry hughes

another fun swap from my mom (portrayed above) and my brother (portrayed below). both of them are really focused when they draw but neither of them takes their results too seriously. which almost always leads to fun, interesting drawings.

don meagher & lali shaw

imagianry hats and mustaches weren't enough for our dad (portrayed above). he drew my sister, lali, as big bird (below).

barbara levy & christine castro hughes

another swap from my grandma's first ever portrait party! she (portrayed above) and christine (portrayed below) were both proud of their drawings. personally, i love how protective and apologetic christine was that she - accurately - drew my grandma's grandma neck. they love each other.