It's sort of amazing to think about what it's like to be a new baby. Imagine taking your first breath of air. Feeling the wind for the first time. Your first trip to the beach. Learning how to use your arms and legs; being surprised to find that if you want, they can put you in motion (first lessons in physics, as one new mama I know describes it). It stands to reason that folks like to create a little something to commemorate these teeny new people's arrival in the world. I've had the good fortune to be asked to mark the coming of two new babies recently. The first was for a baby shower -- a guessing game about when the baby would come. Each of the banners hanging in the forest-world I dreamt up has a date, with space below for the guests to write in their names. So it's a little fun for the party, a record of who was there, and a little art to frame for the baby's wall (it was designed to go with the colors of the baby's room). The second project is a series of three cards commissioned as thank-you notes by another new baby's parents. Here's a photo of the first sketches, which I'll refine for the final artwork. This baby was born just after the firefly season started this year, so we used that as the theme. They will also be available in my on-line shop as individual cards and card sets. They will be blank inside, so you'll be able to use them for all sorts of commemorations, or just to send a snail-mail hello to your dear friend. |
Welcome to LEAN2creative works! Thanks for dropping in to see what is happening with my fledgling art and illustration business. I am working on a number of projects that will eventually be available for sale in my on-line shop. In the meantime, please check back in with the blog from time to time: I'll share some of my work in progress, including some of my inspirations and early sketches.
People are often curious whether I use references for my drawings. The answer is yes; whether it is a goat, person, or veggie, I typically do study drawings first to get to know a subject. After a while, I know the basic structure and elements of that critter or plant or rock, or whatever it is, and can design new versions of it without models or references. The arugula in the photo at above left will show up loosely rendered in a drawing like the one above right. This is a skill I honed in architecture school and beyond; once you study how buildings work, and draw existing buildings, you can start to recombine and reinvent, and create something entirely new in pictures before it becomes a physical reality.
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AuthorMelinda Nettles, proprietor of LEAN2creativeworks, an independent art and illustration studio located in the Cape Cod town of Eastham, Massachusetts. NEWSLETTER SIGNUPArchives
January 2023
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