Got wings?

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!

A wise fortune cookie indeed

A recent dine-in evening brought a little constructive criticism to my door. This surprise from a fortune cookie was staring me down. Was this meant for me or what? Maybe it was telling me enough waiting, and planning and thinking, and thinking some more. Jump in already!

So here I go! I’m diving headfirst into making my dreams of being an artist a reality. I think that I’ve fought against these pulls at my heart for too long and it’s time that I just follow my heart. It seems like such a simple thing, following your heart, listening to the whispers gently prodding you on your way. But fear, even fear of success can be a hurdle that only you can overcome yourself. So here I am, a year after working on developing my personal style, finally declaring to the world that I’m here! I’m here to share my art! I’m here to share my heart’s true desire to create interesting, inspiring, beautiful things with my hands.  I hope you’ll join me here as I navigate through the peaks and valleys of unearthing my creative spirit. I feel like everything in my life has been leading up to this point, this looks like a great jumping off point!

So here I go, ready or not, here I come…