If you've read my recent article On Happiness and Fulfillment In A Plugged-In Culture, you'll likely see the correlation of concepts here.
"Voice Over Vogue" is an illustration of the corresponding, subjective emotions.
My previous post What's Inspiring Now - Kent Williams, Marc Scheff, Zelda Devon, & Eric Fortune shares some of the creative choices that inspired how I thought about Voice Over Vogue's composure and playful qualities. In this post I explain how the inspiration is not limited to these examples of work.
In executing this new piece, I was also considering design components for a call for entry by Microsoft's Lumia #Create #TileArt template.
Talenthouse sends out creative invites for projects they are hosting, and the Lumia #TileArt submission window for round one closed this past week. It is looking to feature original work by artists looking for further exposure and challenge. I was interested in how they were ready to offer fair opportunity to those who participated. And it happened to fit my idea for Voice Over Vogue ironically well.
So...two birds with one stone, scheduling-wise.
My process always begins with a kind of back and forth dance between small, abstracted thumbnail sketches and full drawings in the sketchbook. Each project has it's own conceptual needs in the early stages, so this process is a bit different in volume, each time.
Here's my sketchbook on this piece:
I knew I wanted more from the face, the expression, so I used my own:
In the end I chose to keep the likeness, as it is such a personally driven experience in the concept. A lot of illustrators and artists utilize the handy advantage of being their own model, in similar ways. And we all put ourselves into our work, intentionally or no.
I painted this piece on hot press, in about 30 hours over two days.
I wanted to push some things. The hands and feet are quite red because I wanted the expressive stylization associated with flush, strain, energy, blood, and life...I don't know if anyone has noticed, but there is a lot of this sanguine, ruddy tinge with figures in the scifi & fantasy genre work again, and I actually like it because for me it alludes to color theory and archetypes in mythology, as well as fairy tales like that by the Grimms.
Color and placement can be used as a powerful mnemonic device in visual story-telling, as well as an iconic emotional trigger. Red is a very ancient, heavily laden symbol in folklore, across cultures. I felt it was important to use.
And the compliment of greens was an imperative, not only because the healing, vital, fresh, growing energy of living things is that young spring green - and I wanted the organ of the heart to be growing her 'inner voice' in that color - but it also works so well as a dynamic impression on the negative space. I wanted the environment to seem to move with that vital, personal life force.
Here's my submission to Talenthouse, as per their template format:
I am glad I got to this illustration straight away, further encouraged to completion by the deadline of the contest, but it is also rewarding to have repurposed the concept into an entry for an exciting and enjoyable public event!
Whatever happens, I feel good about the work, and still, it would be awesome to get some support with your votes for my submission to enter round two of the contest.
Share the love - VOTE HERE for my "Voice Over Vogue" and chance to design more art for round two!
Vote via Talenthouse, FB, or Twitter in a matter of seconds.
Thank you for the support and encouragement in advance.
If you're on the list for my Newsletter, I'll be in touch directly with the highlights for this quarter.
Don't want to be left out? Sign up HERE.
In the meantime,
Happy creating!
-Mairin-Taj
"Voice Over Vogue" is an illustration of the corresponding, subjective emotions.
My previous post What's Inspiring Now - Kent Williams, Marc Scheff, Zelda Devon, & Eric Fortune shares some of the creative choices that inspired how I thought about Voice Over Vogue's composure and playful qualities. In this post I explain how the inspiration is not limited to these examples of work.
In executing this new piece, I was also considering design components for a call for entry by Microsoft's Lumia #Create #TileArt template.
Talenthouse sends out creative invites for projects they are hosting, and the Lumia #TileArt submission window for round one closed this past week. It is looking to feature original work by artists looking for further exposure and challenge. I was interested in how they were ready to offer fair opportunity to those who participated. And it happened to fit my idea for Voice Over Vogue ironically well.
So...two birds with one stone, scheduling-wise.
 |
| "Voice Over Vogue", Original Watercolor, Live Area 8x14", 2015 |
Here's my sketchbook on this piece:
I knew I wanted more from the face, the expression, so I used my own:
In the end I chose to keep the likeness, as it is such a personally driven experience in the concept. A lot of illustrators and artists utilize the handy advantage of being their own model, in similar ways. And we all put ourselves into our work, intentionally or no.
I painted this piece on hot press, in about 30 hours over two days.
 |
| I do indeed sit on that ball, most of the time. Or I stand. |
 |
| Process photo, midway. |
 |
| Final art, Detail, Watercolor, 2015. |
I wanted to push some things. The hands and feet are quite red because I wanted the expressive stylization associated with flush, strain, energy, blood, and life...I don't know if anyone has noticed, but there is a lot of this sanguine, ruddy tinge with figures in the scifi & fantasy genre work again, and I actually like it because for me it alludes to color theory and archetypes in mythology, as well as fairy tales like that by the Grimms.
Color and placement can be used as a powerful mnemonic device in visual story-telling, as well as an iconic emotional trigger. Red is a very ancient, heavily laden symbol in folklore, across cultures. I felt it was important to use.
And the compliment of greens was an imperative, not only because the healing, vital, fresh, growing energy of living things is that young spring green - and I wanted the organ of the heart to be growing her 'inner voice' in that color - but it also works so well as a dynamic impression on the negative space. I wanted the environment to seem to move with that vital, personal life force.
Here's my submission to Talenthouse, as per their template format:
 |
| Creative Invite, Call for Entry, Microsoft Lumia #TileArt, Round One, February 2015. |
I am glad I got to this illustration straight away, further encouraged to completion by the deadline of the contest, but it is also rewarding to have repurposed the concept into an entry for an exciting and enjoyable public event!
Whatever happens, I feel good about the work, and still, it would be awesome to get some support with your votes for my submission to enter round two of the contest.
Share the love - VOTE HERE for my "Voice Over Vogue" and chance to design more art for round two!
Vote via Talenthouse, FB, or Twitter in a matter of seconds.
Thank you for the support and encouragement in advance.
If you're on the list for my Newsletter, I'll be in touch directly with the highlights for this quarter.
Don't want to be left out? Sign up HERE.
In the meantime,
Happy creating!
-Mairin-Taj
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