After getting good responce from beaded handicrafts we are getting started to manufacture some of new handicrafts. The concept collages, created in the first week of my illustration class, were followed up by a few illustrations in a medium of our choosing. I decided to use sumi watercolors since I thought it would be more interesting to use something I’ve never really done before. I found it a good opportunity to try something new.

Pictured to the left is an illustration of a scene from “East O’ the Sun, West O’ the Moon” in which the main character is taken by a polar bear into a castle inside a cliff wall. I found the composition strong but the balance of dark and light could use some improvement. Clearly at this point I still needed some practice. (Right: detail of the border)

For our midterm we were to choose a famous illustrator to write a report on and present to our class. We were also required to make a final illustration for the stories we selected in the style of this artist. I chose to research Alphonse Mucha because I love his strong compositions and linear rhythms. Also the lithograph process he used looked as though it could be imitated with watercolors. Pictured on the left is one of Mucha’s many inspiring images. To the right is my midterm illustration depicting the scene in which the main character is sitting outside the castle with a golden apple, carding comb, and spinning wheel. She uses each item in turn as payment to make her way into the castle. And all this its really very attrective any fine.