Father Tim, who are you?

I've been re-reading the Mitford series lately and was once again dismayed when I moved from book 3 with it's wonderful illustrations, and was jolted into the stiff and lifeless renderings in book 4. --Am I being a bit harsh? Probably only because I see too much of my own tendencies in the second style to my own. I tend to get too careful when I'm drawing something that "matters" - too precise, too exact, fill in too many details and it just robs the life out of my subject. Look at the glasses (shudder) and although the details are more and less pronounced, the characters are drawn with the same impersonality as the furniture -- -oh yes I have been there before.

The loose gestures in the original drawings share a feel as well as a subject matter. These are characters who have feelings and convey a sense that they are open-ended and need to be further discovered. There is a time and a place for all styles of drawing, but this comparison gives me a fresh reason to loosen up and draw with feeling.

Note: I've always loved the cover illustrations on the books which are the work of Donna Kay Nelson. While trying to find out information about this illustrator I found this website that has information about illustrators and small images of their covers. Jacketflap.com It wasn't helpful as far as finding out about her life, but it was a resource to link me with a history and range of her published work. Linked in said her location was in Illinois, so I'm supposing that she is the same Donna Kae Nelson at this website that is not up and running yet, but does show some great imaginative examples of her work.
-It's unclear who did the illustrations in the first three books, and I'm commenting on style not artist bashing, so have chosen not to include the name of the artist in the 4th book.