Anne Keenan Higgins became a contributor to Engagement 101 three years ago. We love her whimsical illustrations such as the ones in this article and on our cover. Let’s learn a little bit more about the girl behind the art.

When did you start drawing?

I’ve been drawing ever since I can remember. I have always kept journals and I keep one with me wherever I go. My parents, who met in art school, are both artists and have al- ways been incredibly inspiring and supportive.

When did you decide you could make a career out of it?

While working as an Art Director at Papyrus corporate, I started to think about being illustrator. I put it off for a few years, because I needed to hone my illustration style. Once I established a look, I needed to meet a few goals before I quit my job and jumped into freelancing. For starters, I had to be financially realistic and began saving a little extra money. I would bring my lunch to work, stopped afternoon $4 lattes and sadly stayed away from impulse shopping. Once my portfolio was ready, I had to figure out a way to share my work. Seeing that it was 2000, social media wasn’t available and email wasn’t what it is today. So, I relied on the post office and trade shows to show my work. Fortunately, I had a positive response to my work and things took off fairly quickly.

You like to draw girls. Why is that?

I have always loved fashion and figure drawing. My father worked in advertising and brought home every imaginable fashion magazine. I would pour over the pages and endlessly draw the models from the fashion pages. The clothing, patterns, hairstyles, shoes, handbags, etc., fascinated me.

Can you tell us about your proposal and your engagement ring?

I have a very simple antique diamond band we found in San Francisco. In addition to vintage rings, I adore jewelry designer Cathy Waterman. I tend to lean toward intricate bands with diamonds and sapphires. I’m not a “big rock” kind of gal, but I do like a little sparkle.