Pageant illustrations are totally a thing. Oftentimes some sort of portrait or illustration is included in a winner's prize package. Well, I've never won Mrs. Texas and I fear as I get older that it will be harder and harder to actually win. So I went ahead and decided to order my own pageant illustration to commemorate my years competing for that crown.
I decided to commission the piece (sounds so official) through a young man I follow on Instagram - David Mandeiro (@david_mandeiro_illustrations). David and I communicated via email because he's on the other side of the world. I paid for the piece and it arrived as promised. I was so excited to open up his email. I teared up a bit because David nailed it. NAILED IT. I'm an even bigger fan of his now... they'll be other David Mandeiro originals in my collection for years to come because his illustration of me is now one of my favorite things.
