Illustration Friday Topic: Vanity

winsomeways — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:26:40 +0000

20111118_Vanity

winsomeways — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 06:13:21 +0000

Illustration Friday Topic: Round

winsomeways — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 05:46:56 +0000

Pen & ink image submitted Dec. 1, 2011

20111216_Sink

winsomeways — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 23:01:22 +0000

20111223_Messenger

winsomeways — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 13:35:56 +0000

20111223_Messenger

winsomeways — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 13:52:00 +0000

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winsomeways — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 14:22:56 +0000

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Illustration Friday Topic: Highlight

winsomeways — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 14:47:23 +0000

Illustration Friday: Highlight

winsomeways — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 14:55:44 +0000

WC001_01

winsomeways — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:27:25 +0000

Watercolor Practice #1

winsomeways — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:28:39 +0000

20120106_Grounded

winsomeways — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 01:49:47 +0000

20120106_Grounded

winsomeways — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 07:21:46 +0000

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winsomeways — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:46:53 +0000

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winsomeways — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:11:54 +0000

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winsomeways — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:12:43 +0000

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winsomeways — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:16:53 +0000

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winsomeways — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:55:13 +0000

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20120120_Twirl

winsomeways — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:19:34 +0000

20120120_Twirl

winsomeways — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 22:40:54 +0000

On the Trail of Creativity

winsomeways — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 11:50:17 +0000

I have been looking for ways to link my writing and illustration. What sparks the creative process? A writer's critique group I joined introduced me to oulipo two days ago. Everyone in the group did five exercises that evening, each with a different constraint. When the time came to share our efforts, the readings were really amazing.

Here is one of my writing examples. One constraint was to use the word 'trails.' The second constraint was to conclude with the words from a previous exercise, in my case, 'perfectly appropriate.' I'll post the related artwork in the next week along with another writing example.

Trails of sweat are not something I see anymore outside a gym. I used to see streams of it in summer.

Men murmuring curses at defunct car engines or wielding two-handed hedge hackers or mowing crisscross patterns on the lawn.

Women wringing laundry by hand, ironing starched shirts, sheets and pajamas, baking in 100-plus degree kitchens.

To child eyes, perfectly appropriate.

If you are a visual artist or work in any media besides written words, have.you experimented with oulipo to jumpstart any projects? Could you please share your results? If you write, have you used oulipo? What happened with your writing? What other improvisational techniques have you used?

About

winsomeways — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 22:58:17 +0000

I am Adrienne May, the owner of WinsomeWays Illustration. After many years in the corporate world, I love being free to paint and draw children's books. As a young woman, the artist life never seemed plausible. However several unanticipated changes -- relocation for work followed by two job eliminations -- made everything possible. Christ must be in the mix! I could not have orchestrated it better and I will always be grateful for it. I am inspired by writers and artists like my first anatomy teacher the late Anthony Palumbo of the Art Students League in New York, John Steptoe, John Stuart Ingle, Barry Moser, the Dillons, Maria Tatar, Jerry Pinkney, James C. Christensen, Shaun Tan, Jacqueline Woodson and Carl Larsson among others. I especially appreciate those who have taken the time to give personal encouragement and guidance -- personal friends, members of my Brooklyn-based illustrators critique group (Thanks to Michelle K. for gathering us together!) and the Ridgefield, CT writers group (Thanks to Adele Annesi for introducing me and to all for including an illustrator :-) ). The children's book world is a wonderful, mercurial, magical place and I'm loving the challenge!

In the Country

winsomeways — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 12:58:52 +0000

This is my second post based on oulipo. Yes, I still have to post an image for "On the Trail of Creativity," and I'm working on that. However, I'm also determined to pursue the weekly writing goal I've set for myself. The oulipo constraint this time was to begin with "In the country."

In the country nobody gets up before 10 or 11:00 am. Meals are whatever springs up from the earth overnight or ripens on fruit trees in the yards. Wafers gossamer coat the grass. You can try to collect it, but the stuff melts by noon. People and their stuff never age or if they do, nobody remembers different.

Lately random people go on excursions "out of the country." That's how Momma explained it. Nobody returns here from there.

I welcome your comments on any of my posts. I appreciate your visit and Happy Thanksgiving! . . . .

Home

winsomeways — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 12:50:34 +0000

About WinsomeWays & Me

winsomeways — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 12:50:36 +0000

Word Toss

winsomeways — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:30:15 +0000

This is my third post based on an oulipo exercise. I learned about oulipo at a November meeting of the Ridgefield CT Writers Guild. Everyone in the group did five exercises that evening, each with a different set of constraints. For this particular exercise, writing adheres to five constraints. The following clause and phrases were tossed out by the meeting moderator as we were writing:

naturally, automatically
at 5 in the morning
perfectly appropriate
enormous needy
let's talk about the money impact

The goal was to immediately include each constraint wherever we were in our writing and continue our story from there. Here is my story:

Lately I've been watching people around me slip away from the people closest to them. It's embarrassing. They ask how I am. I say "Just fine," and they share confidences like these:

My mother doesn't remember me -- not even the time the two-year old me graced our family's Thanksgiving dinner as a second bird plucked naked. She naturally, automatically draped her apron over me and got me out of sight. Now she's the two year old and there's no apron to drape over that.
At 5 in the morning the adoption agency called to say the baby we'd hoped for these past 3 years was going to another couple. We're getting too old to wait to adopt.
My 8 year old son lives for soccer, perfectly appropriate for boys. Now he has a tumor engulfing his femur -- an enormous needy parasite devouring his life.
My best friend has mostly recovered from her head injury two years ago, but not enough to work. Those bills still linger. They used to talk about their kids' antics. Now all they say is "Let's talk about the money impact."

Nobody is "fine" but me. They can't outrun life and I'm lurching along with them.

I've learned not to promise a weekly turnaround :-), but I'm committed to using this writing in a visual image that I post on this blog. Wish me luck!

Illustration Friday: Vanity

winsomeways — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 16:17:28 +0000

Today I made my first submission to Illustration Friday. Illustration Friday is a weekly exhibition for visual artists based on a pre-selected topic. The image inserted into this post is my rendering of the November 18 topic 'Vanity.' I will also post future submissions on their own page on my website WinsomeWays.com. I started with the idea of a peacock's fantail. However a peacock by itself felt insufficient because peacocks not only symbolize vanity, but also immortality, royalty and beauty. Linking the peacock and the first sin (vanity) occurred to me. (There is also a visual joke as the composition is drawn from a 1504 Albrecht Durer engraving.) Adam and Eve submitted to Satan in the Garden of Eden by eating the fruit of the forbidden tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The cause of the first sin was their vanity in wanting to be equal to God. My final image includes the peacock fan tail as a clothing detail on Eve's skirt.

Illustration Friday: Round

winsomeways — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 05:49:38 +0000

This image is part of a larger image I'm working on for a previous post (On the Trail of Creativity). In addition to displaying my Illustration Friday submissions, I use this blog to look at ways to combine writing and artwork. Please take a moment to look at my other posts, and I'd love to receive your comments. Thanks for dropping by!

Illustration Friday: Sink

winsomeways — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:00:57 +0000

Sorry for neglecting this blog for the past few weeks. Here is my submission for Illustration Friday: Sink with multiple meanings of the word 'sink.' Hope it amuses!

Illustration Friday: Messenger

winsomeways — Sat, 24 Dec 2011 13:55:02 +0000

Today is Christmas Eve. Many Christmas carols focus on the angelic messengers who proclaimed the birth of Jesus Christ to humble shepherds on the night of his birth. I'm really looking forward to all the music for the mass this evening and sharing in the first communion of Christmas at midnight. I hope these final weeks of December are a joyous time for you also.

Please share your comments here and visit my website at WinsomeWays.com. Thanks for dropping by!.

Illustration Friday: Highlight

winsomeways — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 15:10:50 +0000

Here is my Illustration Friday submission for the topic 'Highlight.' This image is also posted on my website WinsomeWays.com. Thanks to everyone who graciously provided feedback or just took the time to view my work in 2011. I continue to welcome your comments and wish you a Happy New Year for 2012!

Watercolor Practice #1

winsomeways — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 20:54:56 +0000

Every week I join 3 - 5 other local artists in White Plains, NY to paint a model at the Reilly League. Sessions do not have an instructor, but the experiences of the artists are quite varied. This means a great deal of good information is exchanged. The model changes from week to week. Participants use whatever media they want -- oils, acrylics, watercolor, graphite, pastels, colored pencils are the most popular. The image shown here is from a watercolor I started in the summer of 2011 and would like to continue. Sorry, but this blog did not exist until mid-November 2011. I typically begin work by doing a very light pencil sketch followed by an under-painting to work out some of the values. In this case I used burnt sienna. The paper is a 140 lb. hot press d'Arches W/C block satin grain. Believe it or not, time with the model was up when I had gotten that far. I continued work at home. Having laid the under-painting groundwork, I glazed the pants with a couple washes of Payne's gray and ivory black. I dribbled clean water on the blouse area to create its pattern and charged it with cadmium red (Winsor & Newton). I just love how a minuscule bit of watercolor explodes on wet paper! When the red stripes were completely dry (not damp, bone dry!) I started the shading on the blouse with ultramarine blue. The shaded area under her left arm needs to be a little darker but I don't want to disturb the red pattern. I'll work on that. My next steps are to continue practice rendering textile patterns and various textures like polished stone, wood, metal and shiny vinyl on the objects in the picture. Of course there are those cast shadows to be dealt with as well. Wish me perseverance and luck! I'll post my progress here. I welcome your questions and comments so we may learn together. Thanks!

Illustration Friday: Grounded

winsomeways — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 01:53:57 +0000

Here is my Illustration Friday submission for the topic 'Grounded.' This is my first watercolor submission -- a player diving to catch a grounded ball. I hope you 'Like' it. This image is also posted on my website WinsomeWays.com. Thanks for visiting and please leave a comment.

Illustration Friday: Twirl

winsomeways — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:22:55 +0000

Here is my Illustration Friday submission for the topic 'Twirl.' Right now I feel like life is a twirling whirlwind. SCBWI will be really great this weekend, but there's still so much to finish up -- mostly non-SCBWI related like choral evensong, but still important. I mapped out the workshops to attend. I finally decided about laptop versus a paper journal -- bring both! I know I'll want to sketch (on paper), but I'll also want to check out author and illustrator blogs and websites. No fun waiting around to do that! I hope to see some of you there! Thanks for visiting and please leave a comment. The image above is also posted on my website WinsomeWays.com.

WinsomeWays Nominated for a Kreativ Blogger Award!

winsomeways — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 11:16:10 +0000

Hooray! My WinsomeWays blog was just nominated for a Kreativ Blogger award by buddafulkat.com Since my blog is still rather new, I am so pleased that you like the work I've done. Thank you, thank you, thank you buddafulkat.com! Everyone please wish me continued success! :-)

12x12-in-2012

winsomeways — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 23:53:01 +0000

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winsomeways — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:34:03 +0000

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Illustration Friday: Suspense

winsomeways — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:29:12 +0000

Here is my Illustration Friday submission for the topic 'Suspense.' Thanks for visiting and please leave a comment. The image above is also posted on my website WinsomeWays.com.

20120203_Suspense

winsomeways — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:28:01 +0000

20120210_Popularity

winsomeways — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:09:58 +0000

Illustration Friday: Popularity

winsomeways — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 19:10:33 +0000

Here is my Illustration Friday submission for the topic 'Popularity.' The New Testament account of the life of Jesus Christ details how he went from immense acclaim on Palm Sunday -- crowds gave him the traditional reception reserved for a king -- to being condemned and crucified like the most despised criminal in less than one week (Good Friday). Thanks for visiting and please leave a comment. The image above is also posted on my website WinsomeWays.com.