I just recently completed an e-course “Flying Lessons: Tips
and Tricks to help your Creative Business Soar,” created by the amazing and
inspiring Kelly Rae Roberts. I cannot express enough my feelings of gratitude
and joy for all the knowledge she shares! It is wonderful to
know that there is a community of artists actively supporting and encouraging
each other as we step into the world of business.
As I was completing the course, I kept thinking about the
concept of flight. So as I begin this blog I thought I would share with you the
process of one of my recent illustrations as it came to life based on this
inspiration.
My inspiration usually begins with a word or phrase, in this
case it was: She leapt and her wings revealed
themselves (a thought that came to me in a dream). This is a statement I feel
really fits my current state of being. I began with a sketch of my girlie and
as I progressed I couldn’t decide if I wanted her to have butterfly or bird’s
wings. So I played around with both as
you can see with the layering of the papers.
Her bird wings won out and I moved
on to outlining and defining her with markers and colored pencils.
The next
step is cutting her out which can be a bit of a challenge. I use 100 lb. Bristol paper and it is
relatively thick, but I love the depth that layering with it adds to the
overall piece. After adding a backdrop and a few bits of decorative paper, I
moved back to the original inspiration, the words! I played around with the text a lot: their placement,
their design, and their size until I was pleased with the layout.
I usually use
tracing paper during this phase so I can easily change and adjust things to my
liking. Then I carefully add lettering and final touches.
I really like how she turned out. She wasn’t meant to look
like me (even though I have always wanted curly hair), but I can see myself in
her shining through. This piece really means a lot to me because this is
exactly how I feel right now as I take the leap towards fulfilling my dreams. I
hope you see a little bit of yourself in her too!