The Art of Lavina Marie: 2012

I tried out the new cotton rag paper I'd purchased a few ago from Paperchase, using the Arthur Rackham that I've been recently toying with. This inking technique sure is growing on me; could it be I've found my distinctive style? *o*

I love how the style forces me to practice drawing, which has always been more of my forte than painting. It's a very familiar style, in other words, so I'll see if it works out for me later on. As for the cotton rag paper, I love how it works with ink; I want to hoard more :))

Yesterday, as I was browsing through random illustration blogs on the net, I came across an artist whose work I think mirrors my current experimental style more so than that of Rackham's: Warwick Goble.


From Book of Fairy Poetry VII 1920

A contemporary of Rackham's though not as popular, Goble made a name for himself in creating beautiful fairytale illustrations inspired by Japanese and Indian themes. His work can be found in select MacMillan publications such as The Water Babies (1863) and Treasure Island (1883), as well as in the first edition of The War of the Worlds (1898) by H.G. Wells, and many folk tale anthologies (notably Other Japanese Fairy Tales and Tales of Bengal).

Nautilus Ship

Sea Nymphs

Unlike Rackham, Goble seemed to love colors more; in several of his works you can see splashes of different colors (watercolor was his primary paint medium), all encased within thin, almost nonexistent ink lines. I love how soft his technique is; it makes his art appear dreamy, quite perfect for a fairytale setting in my opinion.

A Fairy Revel

I don't think I can ever achieve the subtlety of Goble's work; I'm having a fantastic time trying to though! The controlled application of lines and the delicate washing of colors, blended together in a calculated recipe of imagination to create a story of a thousand words; artists like Warwick Goble remind me how much I love art.

On that note, I'd like to wish you all a happy happy New Year's Eve. :)

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Merry Christmas, everyone! :D I hope you and your families are blessed with love and happiness this season. I've been working on a piece and review for some time now, and I can finally share it with you, and in time for Christmas Day too, haha!


Dewfairies at Work Ink and watercolor on illustration board 38.4 x 25.7 cm

I recently acquired a set of twelve Derwent Inktense blocks through the generosity of Times Trading Inc., and I've been enjoying time experimenting with them for a piece inspired by the works of Arthur Rackham (as with Marion's Rest).

Inktense blocks are water-soluble ink blocks that boast incredible versatility; they can be rubbed dry onto paper like pastels, or else washed with water like paint. I use them like blocks of watercolor, but they're much more vibrant, opaque, and permanent (so permanent, in fact, that my paintbrushes are stained *o*).

Unlike with watercolors, dry Inktense washes can be painted over without affecting the layers underneath. For this reason, it's very difficult to cover up mistakes when using Inktense blocks, as once the ink dries on the paper, it can't be lifted or dissolved. It's funny really; I tend to make mistakes a lot, so every time I would lay the paintbrush down on the paper, I'd hold my breath :))

I had a hard time adjusting to the Inktense blocks; for one reason, they weren't blending at all well with my initial choice of paper (Daler-Rowney), and I couldn't gauge the amount of ink to place onto the paper. Finally, though, after managing to find the perfect paper for the blocks (Bainbridge cold press, a US-made illustration board) and spending a considerable while trying out different mixes and paintbrush load amounts, I discovered that Inktense tends to overpower water.

The blocks can be scraped and the shavings mixed with water.

The blocks are highly concentrated; a single amount mixed with water can already produce a dark, vibrant color on the paper, which can't be effectively blended or removed without first having washed the paper with water. It's thus difficult to use the blocks to create soft paintings, if you're not conscious of your mixes.

I love how the colors just pop, though :D

Due to their vibrancy, however, Inktense blocks are wonderful for making details stand out, something I'm very partial to. Watercolor tends to fade into the background if not enough paint is loaded into the paintbrush; with Inktense blocks, however, you need only load a little, and it's enough to draw out a bright, clear line on the paper. Moreover, Inktense colors don't bleed into one another as watercolors love to do, a characteristic that I found most useful in painting the under layers of the grass and flowers.

I did use watercolor for some portions of this piece, though, in laying down washes for the sky, and the fairies' skin and hair. I wasn't sure of the effect diluted Inktense would produce, and I didn't want to risk botching the fairies' appearance - and if there's anything I truly hate in my painting, it's botching the fairies.

I've yet to practice painting skin and hair with the Inktense blocks.

In a nutshell, Derwent Inktense blocks are a highly versatile medium (and can, in fact, be used on silk and other surfaces), permanent and vibrant. If used like watercolors, they do require a considerable amount of patience and practice, more so than the watercolor medium itself, I think. If mastered, though, these blocks can produce a vast range of rich and beautiful works.

On that note, I'd like to wish you all once again a Happy Holidays, and a wonderful year ahead. ♥

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With a few of mine and Valerie Chua's paintings, at ManilART

I can't even begin to describe ManilART. I mentioned in my previous post that I was participating in this prestigious event, and now that the event is over, I still can't believe I was part of it at all.

ManilART is the biggest art event of the year, a chance for leading art galleries in the Philippines to come together and showcase their prized collections, and for budding artists, such as myself, to make their presence in the scene known. This year, the event boasted the participation of 40 major galleries, and over 400 artists - the biggest gathering yet.

I was blessed with the opportunity to be featured as one of the exhibiting artists by Romana Go, ManilART's current art director. She was already an acquaintance of mine; we'd meet time and time again, and I always enjoyed her quirky company. A few months ago, we met again at a party at my boyfriend's house, and during one of the conversations, she suddenly broached the subject about ManilART, how she had been assigned the role of art director. I was thrilled for her, of course, and secretly hoping that I'd be able to visit the exhibit this year. To my absolute horror, she casually mentioned that I be a part of it. Before I could recover, she began talking specifics: what medium I used, how many paintings I had, how many more could I do... by the time the party was over, my mind was abuzz. My participation in the exhibit wasn't set in stone, but I had resolved to produce as many paintings as I could nonetheless.

The wheels were in motion, however; as I strove to make one painting a week, Romana would contact me for updates and news concerning ManilART. My being part of it still wasn't sure - at least to me it wasn't, but I was forced to think otherwise when out of the blue, she asked me to participate in a press interview for the event at SM Megamall. And everything escalated from there: my artwork was splashed on a promotional ManilART tumbler and sold and given away, I was featured on the ManilART Facebook page (you can see the post here), and my paintings were set up on display at the Moon Dragon Art Gallery booth in the SMX Convention Center.

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Marion's Rest
Watercolor and ink on paper
29.7 x 21.0 cm
(Credits for model: Falln-Stock)

This drawing sure took some work, and I'm happy with the result, I feel like I want to write a story to go along with it, haha!

I used Derwent watercolor pencils for color, and a Uni Pin water- and fade-proof pigment ink pen. The pen is absolutely fantastic, and definitely worth the price (P65.50 or $1.6 in National Bookstore). It doesn't bleed at all, and the ink only becomes blacker under water.

It's a challenge doing ink line art; I was afraid for the most part that any single line out of place would effectively ruin the picture, especially when I was drawing the fairy's facial features. At one point, I even used the wrong pen, which was not waterproof, so I sat squealing for a good while as I watched the ink bleed past the point of salvation. Thankfully I was able to switch pens before the entire picture became a disaster.

You can see the ink I murdered in about this entire portion of the picture :))

I wasn't really consistent with my method for the picture; some parts I did the line art first before adding paint washes, others I painted first and then outlined. There were times I mulled over the number of lines a particular segment of the image might need, but I mostly winged (wung?) it. I had the most fun inking the trees in the background, because they turned out much better than I expected.

This is a looong overdue post; I finished this drawing weeks ago. I've been so busy with my new job as a content writer, which takes up most of my time. It's so taxing, but definitely fun; I learn new stuff everyday!

Also, there's been that terrible monsoon hitting the Philippines for the past week. Thankfully, our house is set up on a pretty high plane, but gosh, most of Luzon just disappeared under water. ;_; I kept crying as I watched the news, but thank God the rains stopped for now. On a side note, my alma mater, UA&P, became a trending topic on Twitter, for its galant efforts to provide relief to those affected by the monsoon. I'm so proud of those Dragons. I'm proud of everyone, really, striving to protect the Filipino through literal hell and high water.

I hope to blog again soon, there's something I've been working on for a while now, but I can't show it until it's sure and ready. Until then, take care. ♥

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I've always been fascinated with old-style fairytale illustrations, the kind you'll find in Enid Blyton books - lovely pictures of the folk dabbed with touches of color and lined delicately with ink. I was leafing through my beloved Fairy Art book last night when I was reacquainted with this particular style of art, particularly in the paintings of 19th century artist Arthur Rackham, who illustrated for Alice's Adventures in Wonderland (1907) and Fairy Tales of the Grimm Brothers (1909).

The Fairies Have Their Tiff with the Birds
1906

Look at his lines, they're incredible! I love how dualistic his artwork appears: simplistic because of the delicate ink outlining his images; yet detailed, with the sheer number of lines that he puts into each image.

The Guest of Honour: A Baby Attended by Sprites and Fairies
1905

Rackham's technique is described in the book as 'a unique style that blended pictorial elegance with a taste for the grotesque'. Interestingly, he derived inspiration from Japanese prints, which perhaps might be apparent in the thin lines of ink that Rackham used, although of course his fairy subjects look more Western, with fair heads and a classical physique.

Other fairies of his look more impish, the kind that Brian Froud so vividly portrays. These kind of fairies I admire the most (thought I don't draw them), since they shatter the typical fairy image drastically (you know, the Disney stereotype of wands and fairy dust; but those are awesome too).

Twilight Dreams
1915

Rackham's style isn't new these days; I suppose he served as the forerunner for contemporary artists such as Amy Brown and Meredith Dillman, both of whom use the line technique in their fairy art. Although what I noticed about Rackham is that he had a certain fondness for sepia; at least judging by the paintings displayed in the book, he kept a limited color scheme for each of his paintings, washing over any reds or blues with hints of gray or brown to soften them and achieve an overall palette.

Autumn Fairies
1906

After managing to tear my eyes away from his art, I thought - since I was/ am in a bit of a creative pitstop (I've already run out of ideas for my Flories series) - of experimenting with this style of painting; it was just too brilliant not to.

Of course, it's no illustration worthy of Peter Pan. But I love how my take on the style is going so far. I'll talk about it in detail once I'm finished. :)

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I present to you, Baht, Boots, and Gandhi: the first book that I illustrated for, and that was just launched last Thursday! :D

Quick backstory: last year, over one of our lunches, my aunt mentioned that she and her two friends were bent on compiling a series of travel essays, and publishing it in book form. Half-jokingly, I asked if I could illustrate for it, and she said yes. It was only months later, in December, that I got around to working on the illustrations, for she reminded me about it, saying the book was quickly on its way to the printing press.

They only wanted simple illustrations, my aunt affirmed, nothing too detailed lest the actual printing sacrificed some of the quality. At first, the drafts that I sent reflected specific essays, and were rendered in a cartoon style (as seen above).

Then, my aunt relayed the feedback from her friends; they found the illustrations alright, but not quite in line with the style of the book cover. "Do you know what retro looks like?" my aunt asked me, and Betty Boop popped into my head. "Something like that," my aunt laughed, and I was thus faced with a new challenge. I had never in my life attempted to draw a retro-style cartoon. I had to scour Google for samples in order to come up with something that looked even remotely retro. Also, the content of the images had changed; now my aunt and her friends requested specific subjects. My aunt wanted a remake of the same island girl as above; author Mo Francisco wanted me to draw her riding the roof of a jeepney, and Gayle Certeza wanted an Alice-in-Wonderland feel to her illustration.

Before I knew it, the new drafts were sent for coloring. One day, my aunt handed to me a published version of the finished book. I caught my name at the back, and did a double-take. Only then did it occur to me that this was serious business. My name is on the cover. I squealed my joy to high glory.

And here are the finished illustrations:

It's so unreal, seeing my drawings on fancy paper, haha!

Each of the illustrations serve as introductions to the authors' biography and acknowledgements. They turned out so nicely, especially with John Casipe's coloring (who I haven't met).

The book launch was held at the Filipinas National Heritage Library, serving as the opening to the 'Babaenihan' event that celebrated women (that day was International Women's Day). I arrived there early enough to take a few shots of the place while it was relatively empty, and already I could feel the buzz of excitement. My aunt seemed anxious, while her two friends whizzed about in a rush of adrenaline. After cocktails were served, the event opened with a welcoming note by Tweet Sering, author of Astigirl, and was then followed by readings of the three authors of Baht, Boots and Gandhi. The whole event ended with a series of inspirational talks from 'astigirls' (which I wasn't able to catch; astig means 'cool', although in a superlative form, almost ineffably cool - hence astigirls means cool or awesome girls).

I didn't take much pictures, but here are some of the ones that I did take:

Promotional tarps outside the building

The reception area

The bookstore has such an amazing collection; I kept squealing, "Sources!" (What the Humanities has
done to me...)

Right to left: Gayle Certeza, Gina Verdolaga, Mo Francisco

Look, my illustration's on the screen! :D

My aunt signing her first autograph

A shout-out to my aunt: I'm so proud of you, Tita Gina! A big congratulations, and thank you sooo much for letting me be a part of this big adventure of yours; I hope you have plenty more in the future! I love you!

To the reader, Baht, Boots, and Gandhi will be available to the public soon; I'll let you know when! :) If you come across it, do take the time to read through it, the essays are absolutely wonderful and thoroughly amusing. The book makes you want to travel and write your own stuff!

Thanks for reading, and take care! Woohoo, I'm (sorta) published!

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