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!