Creativity is one of those things that can come easily on some days, be elusive on others and rise as a friendly hand when you least expect it. My two newest projects fall into the last category for completely different reasons.
The Floral Symmetry Wall Art set is based on an illustration that I made on a Friday evening. It was one of those moments where I draw without thinking. I used my iPad pro, it was in black and white and I posted it on Instagram and that was it. I didn’t think much about it after that.
As I was starting to brainstorm ideas for a new project I decided that I wanted it to be multi-layered and this illustration just popped into mind. The illustration is intricate enough to make it an interesting cut out and it offers several opportunities to play with color. Play with keeping monochromatic (as in the green version below), or a bit more subdued as with the blue and yellow flowers. If you want to go all the way with color the red flowers offer a great option. You decide — that’s the fun part! Keep in mind another big option — the main project photo uses white for the illustration (top layer). Big difference, right?
Just some of the color options for this project. Play!
The second project, Love with a Rose, is simply my way to deal with or react to the news that we’re dealing with here in the USA. I simply don’t comprehend that these things could be happening in our time.
I started out with the idea that above all we should just, as cheesy as it sounds, love not hate. It really is as simple as that. Shouldn’t it be?
My initial sketches included the word hate — faded out, upside down, etc. Then I just decided to eliminate it altogether. I had a generic flower in my original sketch. Then I thought, why not use our national flower?
In 1986, the rose was declared the national floral emblem. This is part of the proclamation that Ronald Reagan signed:
“The American people have long held a special place in their hearts for roses. Let us continue to cherish them, to honor the love and devotion they represent, and to bestow them on all we love just as God has bestowed them on us.”
This is the type of sentiment that I was looking for, to go along with my image. I added the 13 stripes and then… done!
As soon as I finished I wanted a t-shirt. So, I’ve ordered one like the one above and I can’t wait to wear it. If you’d like one too they’re in my Society6 shop along with other items that have this same illustration. If you’d like to simply send a simple message to someone or frame this as a little reminder that we’ll be ok, Love with a Rose is now available in the shop.
Have a wonderful and creative week!