For Mother’s Day 2020 I made my mom an e-card and the flowers in a vase with a tapestry backdrop (see coasters, above) is what I made for her. She liked it so much, she suggested I try to get the image printed on physical things, like greeting cards or something, so that she could purchase some.
Her words were, “Maybe, if you got the design on something to buy, then, you know, I could maybe buy it. And then other people would know about it too, and maybe buy it, and you could make a little money.”
So everything you see here for sale is because of my mom.
This particular image is one I created using my iPad and iPencil using multiple layers. It is one of my favorite designs, and as it was made with my mom in mind, certainly one of my more feminine pieces.
What I love too is that I can now have my work on various physical items. It’s no longer something that’s just in the cloud. It’s now a pillow, a bag, a travel mug – even hangable artwork. It’s really cool.
In the first pandemic lockdown of 2020, I painted this, “It’s a Padalecki,” and “All My Habits Make ME.” These two are of a series. Visually, their themes are about people, public transportation – things I was craving during the lockdown. But they also share a common painting method that was for me highly experimental.
I had read that doing things with your other hand was good exercise for the brain. So I decided to try and see if I could functionally paint – anything at all.
The Padalecki painting was the second piece I tried, but it was in fact the first one I completed. I feel this is one of my best works so far. I’m so happy with both of these paintings, I’ve decided to continue painting more works with my left hand.
When I paint left-handed, it feels like I’ve traveled back in time, to the version of me that lacks the skills and experiences I’ve established with my right hand. It puts me in a place of vulnerability because it feels like I need to relearn the techniques I’ve been using for decades. Nothing is a given. I’m just going for it.
I had NO intention of painting actor Padalecki when I started this. It wasn’t until I was certain the piece was done that I thought, “That actually reminds me of Jared Padalecki.” And of course – I had been watching Supernatural reruns like mad around that time. So I think my subconscious was informing the form of that character.
I knew immediately that the painting HAD to be called “It’s a Padalecki” – and if you’re a fan of the show as I am, you’ll totally get the reference.
To find out more about the people I’ve painted in It’s a Padalecki and the process of taking a canvas painting and making it a design ready to apply to clothes and such, read Behind the Design.
Originally, this painting was just going to hang on my wall. It was titled The Baby, and it was the littlest person in the painting who was situated right in the center of all the action. Even the female to the farthest left is actually pointing to the baby, but if you look at the angles and lines created by basically everything in the painting, it all points to the baby.
Choosing to use this painting for a commercial design meant that aspects would need to be changed at least a little. The bus driver is more visible in the original painting, for example. But I also chose to overlay certain objects with different textures and colors. In some cases, that needed to happen to block-out certain spaces more clearly.
The black is MORE black in the final design. I digitally painted over all the black areas in line with the flow of the objects so that the naturally occurring texture of the canvas and brush strokes wouldn’t draw the eye. It needed to be just black. Then in some of those black spots, I added an additional layer of colored texture, to help ground it a little bit. It’s subtle, but it makes a difference.
It evolved with the scope of the project.
The inspirational for this project is All My Habits Make ME (and is the design title). The idea of waiting for the bus and getting on it has always given me a certain feeling.
The anticipation of going somewhere, of riding to another location, watching out the window as we go.
In the painting and now the design, the bus is coming, it’s nearly at the bus stop where everyone is waiting. My habits make me. Daily decisions determine my future, bit by bit. Where is the bus going? MY CHOICE. So I added that digitally.
The destination is MY CHOICE, and that destination is affected by the habits I choose for myself, day to day and moment to moment. And it does make a difference. It isn’t irrelevant. Just remember to Be calm. Breathe.
These are the words written along the left side of the design. I think most people today maybe need to breathe a little bit. It’s hard to find the calm, the inner core. Breathe. With or without a mask, but breathe.
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Anonymous
November 28, 2020 @ 10:08 pm
4.5
November 28, 2020 @ 10:10 pm
Beautiful!
November 29, 2020 @ 8:24 am
Thank you! 🙂