Tag: Art Nouveau

Unveiling the Birthstone Goddesses 2024 Calendar!

This collection has been years in the making and after hours of inking, painting, and toil, I have finally completed “The Final Goddess”, the 13th Goddess in the Birthstone Goddesses series!

The turning of the year ends. The cycle begins anew. Her delicate touch brings the frost. Her delicate touch brings the first blooms. Birth, Death, Grief, Healing. Turn, turn, turn.

She is all of these Goddesses and none, the Lady of Eternity, The First and Final Goddess.

I’m so pleased to introduce the calendar!  There were many unforseen challenges along the way, from a pandemic to printing woes, but with the help of new technologies in print on demand, I’m able to bring these calendars directly to you all from a printing partner!

Where to get a Calendar

  • The calendar is available in my Etsy shop here.

  • You can also find a print of the cover here.

Journey of Creation

If you missed the Behind the Scenes look at the calendar’s journey of creation I wrote for Patrons, be sure to catch up here:

“The Final Goddess” Original Painting

Watch a timelapse of this painting’s creation here. That’s 10+ hours of work condensed into 1 minute!  I hope to upload a longer narrated version of this painting and the others in the Birthstone Goddesses slowly, but surely, as they take a lot of time to edit and record.

The cover painting was created with india ink pens and watercolor with accents of white gel pen and measures 8×20 inches.  The original is available for any interested parties!  I’ll be accepting offers from Patrons for a week (till Fri. Nov 10th) before she goes live in my Fine Art shop for the general public.

She can be yours for $2700 unmatted or have me choose a mat, frame, and proper glass for her for $3240, with free shipping within the US and Canada. Patrons will also be eligible to use their 15%-25% discounts on this original as well! The discount is dependent on what tier you’re supporting at.

If interested in adding this painting to your collection, drop me a private message here via Patreon.

Help Support the Calendar!

As this calendar is a homegrown project, your word of mouth really helps me out!  Please feel free to share these social media posts and help spread the word about my calendar.  The biggest time to share is now, since the calendar will be less in-demand once 2024 begins:

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This has been quite the journey and I’m still reeling being at this bittersweet end!  I’ve prepared a retrospective look at all of the work I’ve created for the Birthstone Goddesses over the years for the next post that will go live next week. It’s been a joy to look back at all my favorites, especially as it’s easy to forget everything I’ve made after this long, ha!  It has been a flurry of artistic creation.

Till then, it is time for much-needed rest and celebration!

I hope you all had a lovely Halloween and that this calendar will be a light of beauty and inspiration throughout your 2024.

– Ang

La Colección Diosas de Piedras de Nacimiento, ¿Una Retrospectiva + Futuro del Proyecto?

¡Es el fin de una era para mí con la conclusión de las Diosas de Piedras de Nacimiento! Me pareció apropiado despedir el proyecto con una mirada retrospectiva a cómo evolucionó a lo largo de los años que le dediqué. ¡Este viaje comenzó como un simple conjunto de 12 pinturas para un calendario y terminó siendo mucho más!

Las Diosas de Piedras de Nacimiento

¡Estas pinturas lo empezaron todo! La Dama de Diciembre fue la primera entrada original en la serie en 2014 como un regalo para mi madre, inspirada en la serie *Piedras Preciosas* de Alphonse Mucha. Un par de años después, se me ocurrió la idea de continuar con una serie de pinturas similares.

El Baile de Máscaras de las Diosas de Piedras de Nacimiento

Al principio de la serie, también estaba interesada en la marroquinería como pasatiempo y quería explorar los temas de flores y piedras de nacimiento a través de máscaras también. Cada una de estas es una edición limitada de 10 por máscara, algunas adornadas con cristales y todas hechas a mano y pintadas. Con la forma en que el movimiento Art Nouveau se extiende más allá del arte 2D hacia la joyería, los textiles, etc., encontré que las máscaras eran una adición poética al creciente corpus de las Diosas de Piedras de Nacimiento. (Todavía quedan algunas máscaras en mi tienda de Artisan para cualquiera que busque una pieza única de cosplay o exhibición).

(Las máscaras fueron fotografiadas por el talentoso Winter Wolf Studios).

La Colección Visage

Durante la creación de las pinturas, también comencé a pensar en la posibilidad de crear un libro, lo que pensé que quedaría encantador si comenzara cada sección con un banner temático de cada Diosa. ¡Y así nació la colección Visage! Inspirada en los magníficos espejos de mano y collares de camafeo del movimiento Art Nouveau.

Los Diseños de Pines Esmaltados

Una vez más, me vi tentada a explorar más formas de arte vestible a través de pines esmaltados, que también pensé que serían un hermoso objeto coleccionable que funcionaría con conjuntos de regalo temáticos de Diosas. La forma de estos pines se inspiró en la joyería de camafeo del Art Nouveau. Estos diseños también se utilizaron para pegatinas.

Dibujos de Tinta y Oro

Estos dibujos se crearon para promocionar los diseños de pines esmaltados como niveles de lujo para los Kickstarters de los pines, despojando los diseños de los pines en elegante tinta y oro.

Tapetes Embellecidos

Creé estos tapetes dibujados a mano acentuados con pan de oro especialmente para exhibir en convenciones. Varios de ellos se vendieron antes de que tuviera la oportunidad de fotografiarlos, ya que creé el conjunto completo de 12, uno para cada Dama.

Las Pequeñas Diosas de Gemas

Durante el Kickstarter del libro para colorear, uno de los objetivos de financiación ampliada fue la divertida idea de hacer versiones chibi de las Diosas de Piedras de Nacimiento. ¡Por suerte se desbloquearon y así nacieron las Pequeñas Gemas! Son una adición divertida a esta serie, por lo demás muy seria.

Las Ilustraciones de Moda

Cada pintura de Diosa fue investigada, planificada y ejecutada meticulosamente, incluyendo un boceto de moda sobre una forma de croquis para organizar los temas visuales y el vestido de la Diosa.  Todas estas originales todavía están disponibles en mi tienda con la excepción del boceto de la Dama de Enero.

Las Ventanas de las Diosas

Cada pintura de la serie también requería diseños temáticos de mandalas para sus 'ventanas' que aparecen detrás de sus cabezas en las pinturas de la serie principal.  En algún momento, me gustaría hacer más con estos diseños para dejar que los diseños no figurativos brillen en toda su intrincada elegancia.

Amuletos de Diosas de Piedras de Nacimiento

Estos diseños se hicieron como pegatinas para mis Patrocinadores de Patreon, así como para lo que espero que sean collares de amuletos de esmalte que financiaré en el futuro.

Libros y Varios

Al principio de este viaje, siempre fue mi intención crear un calendario de pared.  Un libro para colorear y productos con temática de la Dama de la Eternidad llegaron más tarde como exclusivos de Patreon.  El pin de esmalte de la Dama de la Eternidad basado en el dibujo de la impresión de edición limitada sigue siendo una insignia de honor exclusiva para aquellos Patrocinadores que apoyaron esta serie desde el principio.

El Recuento Final

125 creaciones, sin incluir diseños únicos reorganizados para diseños de productos como totes, neceseres, etc.

  • 14 Pinturas

  • 72 Dibujos

  • 25 Diseños de Pines y Amuletos

  • 12 Diseños de Máscaras

  • 6 proyectos de Kickstarter

  • 1 libro

  • 1 calendario

¿El Futuro de las Diosas?

Aunque estoy terminando la colección de Diosas de Piedras de Nacimiento por ahora, siempre fue mi intención poder regresar al tema más amplio de Diosas de Gemas y explorar otras Diosas relacionadas con las gemas.  Sería una oportunidad para mí de alejarme del estilo de Mucha y probar otros enfoques visuales.  También siento que tengo algunas ideas más para pinturas adicionales que involucran a algunos de los personajes de las Diosas de Piedras de Nacimiento que me encantaría incluir en un libro de arte prospectivo de Diosas de Piedras de Nacimiento que recopile todas las imágenes que ves aquí.

Sin embargo, después de 6 años, necesito desesperadamente algo de espacio antes de emprender la creación de una colección de libros para ellas.  Quiero darme libertad creativa y una oportunidad para descansar a fondo antes de intentar cualquier otra cosa.

Es extraño pensar en lo que ha sucedido en mi vida durante este lapso de 6 años también. Me he casado, me he mudado 4 veces, he ayudado a mi esposo en su lucha contra el linfoma, la insuficiencia cardíaca y la pérdida de empleo, he tenido varias cirugías y mucho más.  La vida nos ha golpeado de costado durante tanto tiempo, ¡estoy feliz de estar en un final que pueda saborear y apreciar!

¡Ha sido todo un viaje y estoy muy agradecida por aquellos que brindaron aliento y apoyo en el camino!  Gracias a todos los que contribuyeron a mi Patreon, apoyaron mis Kickstarters para este proyecto y dejaron una amable palabra de aliento en los años que he estado haciendo esto.  Ayudó a mi esposo y a mí a sobrevivir durante tiempos difíciles, además de permitirme concentrarme más en el arte que ayudó a que las Diosas de Piedras de Nacimiento sucedieran.

¡Esta entrada ya es lo suficientemente larga, así que voy a dejarla aquí!  Tengo algunas ideas y sentimientos sobre el futuro de este Patreon y qué arte compartiré aquí que discutiré en una entrada posterior.  ¡Por ahora, deleitémonos y disfrutemos de este momento de logro!

– Ang

New Art! Little Gem Goddesses of Autumn

Happy Friday, all!  In anticipation of the Goddesses of Autumn enamel pins Kickstarter launching on Monday, I wanted to share the chibi sticker designs of the Autumn gals I did since they’ll be making their debut as Stretch Goals for the Kickstarter project (and eventually as freebies here on Patreon once the pin Kickstarters are complete!)

Little Gem Goddess of September

One of the fun things about doing multiple angles on these gals is that I get to show off design elements that weren’t clear in the main paintings!  September’s chibi shows off her dual-colored eyes and parti-color dress so well.  Inspired by the red and blue color of Sapphires!

Little Gem Goddess of October

Funny how she was not my fave from the main set, but this chibi version stands out as one of my fave of the chibis!  Her pose came out with such perfect flow and I love all of her little spirit friends.  It feels like she has a stronger connection to them in this version.

Little Gem Goddess of November

This gal never ceases to steal the show in any form!  Her flowing veil and dress made a wonderful design element.  Having her floating among her butterflies also ties her more strongly to their ghostly ethereal nature (and also looks cool). 

Designing these cute versions of my asture Goddesses presented a fun challenge for me!  Plus, chibi versions of overly serious things will never cease to make me smile.  I was able to bring a bit more of a magical fantastical touch to these than even the main series and that makes me happy as well!  I’m slowly, but surely, bridging my way over to more fantastical art topics, which is the art I truly adore making!

If you’d like to watch the recordings of the livestreams of the creations of these chibis, you can watch them here:

Have a great weekend, all.  I can’t wait for Monday when the next enamel pins launch!  Are you excited? I am hyped after how beautifully the last set came out!

More soon!

♥ Ang

This was a meticulous article to write, but I love talking about the nitty gritty thought process!

A discussion of my process of troubleshooting my painting & visual exploration of problems & solutions complete with visual aids.

Accessible to all paid tiers or grab the individual post for $3 without needing to sub.

Find the article here:
https://www.patreon.com/angelasasser/posts/secret-cassiels-164355650

[Early Release] Unboxing Art – Mucha’s Le Pater Century Guild Edition

I’ve been saving opening up the lovely package I received from the Century’s Guild long-awaited Kickstarter since a couple of weeks ago till I could take a moment to enjoy it.  That moment has finally come!

Join me as I unbox the loveliness and dive into this wonderful collection of Mucha’s spiritual works!  This video will be released to the public on Friday, but you get an early look because you’re special. 

Now back to con prep with me!

♥
– Ang

MINI TUTORIAL: Art Nouveau Hair

I did a panel on how to draw Art Nouveau style hair at JordanCon this past and thought I’d share the info and results of what I drew there live!  

DISCLAIMER:  This is by no means the definitive guide of Art Nouveau hair, but my own interpretation!

Inspiration Sources

If you want some gorgeous hair to get your creative juices flowing, check out the art of Alphonse Mucha and any number of the artists I’ve mentioned in the Unknown Nouveau article series.  I also have several favorite study sources up at my Art Nouveau resource page.

Before You Begin…

Think about your concept.  Art Nouveau isn’t all pretty ladies and flowy lines. Much of it has deep symbolic roots.  What visual elements or symbols could you tie into your piece?

Art Nouveau at its visual core is about flowing lines, graceful curves, and aesthetic design, in addition to the spiritual and symbolic roots of the movement.

Source: I used an image from this evocative set of stock art by ArtReferenceSource  as a base for the figure in this tutorial.  Check out the rest of his gallery for even more amazing poses for use by artists!

The Bad Example

I made this bad example by randomly drawing lines (and even then, it was really hard to make that beautiful base pose look bad!).  I consider this an ineffective use of the Art Nouveau style because it is directionless, does not serve the compositional flow, and generally just looks a mess! 

A Good Example

Now this is better!  You don’t necessarily have to have the hair of a figure flowing out everywhere in your composition.  This approach shows that you could have a more subtle stylized and graphic take on the hair where it has become more of a decorative shape than a realistic object.  

Perhaps she is a river goddess and her hair has become the flowing waters?  Perhaps she is a volcano goddess and her hair has become lava flowing down the mountain?  Weaving the hair into your background elements is one way you could bring in interesting visual elements and symbols!

Another Good Example

Here we have a more traditional take on Art Nouveau hair where the lines of the hair all curve back into the face, the heart of the piece, in this case.  Nearly every line in the image is smooth, curving, and gentle.

I’ve also abstracted the ends of the hair into curly decorative strands, which is another very specific quirk of the Art Nouveau style that you’ll see Mucha and his students use a lot.  These curly ends add a decorative touch to the hair that’s a bit more interesting than just ending the hair.

I’m sure I could write more about this topic, but I’m ending this tutorial here before it becomes a book!  I hope it gives you some basic ideas of what to do with your Art Nouveau style hair.

Do you have any favorite examples of Art Nouveau style hair? Share in the comments area, as I’d love to see them! 

Unknown Nouveau: Gaspar Camps

While I’m busy grinding away braincells on Lady of July ‘s many flower buds, I wanted to introduce you to another Art Nouveau artist I had never heard of!  Gaspar Champs hailed from Spain and spent a large part of his career in France.  He was very heavily influenced by Mucha, so much so that he became known as the ‘Catalan Mucha’.

Like my previous feature of Élisabeth Sonrel , I love how Camps brought his own unique flair to Alphonse Mucha’s line style.  At times, Camps’ work feels more abstract with his figures melting into the details of his images.

I also love the sense of light bouncing in his more painterly work.  What a joy it was to discover him!

If you want to see more of these art features, view them all at once here .

SKETCH DIARY: Lady of June

My journey continues this month with Lady of June!  Lady of November represented a milestone of high quality and attention to detail in this series that was hard to beat!  How could I make the rest of the Ladies as good as November?  That was the difficult challenge I set for myself as I moved on to this month and ventured into the first of the Ladies of summertime!

After the dark whimsy of Lady of November, we’ve returned to the Ladies of Summer!  Admittedly, this Lady has been a challenge thus far.  While November had a lot of amazing imagery to play with, June is more of a subtle time of year.  Its celebration of youthfulness and young brides reminds of May’s themes, with one of the only unique events being the Summer Solstice.  I’ve been struggling to find Lady of June’s unique visual story to make her different enough from the other Ladies, but that’s what research is all about!

MOOD BOARD

One of the most prominent themes I found while researching the Summer Solstice via Pinterest image gathering was the celebration of Litha and the Sun Wheel.  The Solstice celebrates the reigning power of the Sun.  The Sun Wheel was an old tradition where a representation of the sun was set aflame and rolled down a hill to symbolize its shifting phases.  As soon as I saw the Wheel, I knew it’d be the perfect inspiration for the mandala window!

RESEARCH NOTES

Research for the Ladies always begins with the origin of the month’s name.  In this case, June was named for Juno, the goddess of marriage and well-being of women.  She was also wife to Jupiter/Zeus.  I look across different cultures and see what about this time of year strikes a chord with humanity.  June in the northern hemisphere is a high point of Summer, a time of divination, and a powerful phase of feminine power.

Writing notes helps me to search out the imagery and symbolism I want to include in this Lady’s painting.  I think of flowers, plants, and brides.  The symbol of the well as a tool of divination also struck a chord with me, which is why it shows up so much in my thumbnail sketches.


 THUMBNAIL SKETCHES

Many of these thumbnails explore using water in a well or pond as a divination tool.  2 and 4 feel a little close to Lady of March, with 4 feeling a bit more like a representation of Vanity.  3 captures a more traditional bridal theme, while 1, 5, 6, and 7 seem to capture that theme of a bride searching for her love in the reflection for a more unified theme.  In the end, my favorites are 1, 5, and 6, with 5 and 6 having the clearest shapes and classical feel.

Character Posing

Read more

SKETCH DIARY: Lady of November

My journey continues with Lady of November!  I’ve been looking forward to this Lady for quite some time, being a November birthday, myself!  She’s a very special Lady who challenged me more than any of the others had before with the ambitious ideas I wanted to implement.

November, November!  I’ve been looking forward to this month for a while, not only because it is my own birth month, but because it represents my favorite time of year – Autumn and a time of spooks and spirits!  I decided to skip ahead in this series so that I might be able to finish some of the later Ladies by the time I reached the end of this year.  But never fear, the other Ladies of the summertime will be explored come next year!

Mood Board

mood-board-lady-of-november-lowres

Lady of November’s mood board on Pinterest.

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SKETCH DIARY: Lady of April

My journey continues this month with Lady of April!  Lady of March broke through creative boundaries with her unique imagery and presentation.  That once again made the pressure high for Lady of April! I had to work through art block with this piece, but in the end, powering my way through equaled something grand!

Brainstorming:

lady-of-april---notes
My research began initially with some overlap with Easter, since Easter is a movable feast that can take place in March or April.  I initially thought I’d make March and April inverted twins of sorts, but I moved away from this idea by the end, though you’ll notice both Ladies still stand in water, representing renewal.

Over the course of my research, I discovered the festival of Demeter which is a famous April celebration.  Women dressed in white take torches into the dark of night, representing Demeter searching for her daughter, Persephone, the goddess of Spring.

I also noticed many cultures in the northern hemisphere take this time of year to honor trees with arbor festivals.  In the end, the imagery of fire, light, and the growth of trees that came up during research helped April to emerge in her final form.

You’ll notice in some of the thumbnails pictured below, I represented Easter by including rabbits, symbols of fertility and light bringers, though I eventually moved away from this imagery in favor of focusing on the Lady holding a tree, evoking her as a giver of life and promoter of growth.  In the end, I preferred this unique imagery over repeating Easter’s themes.

 

Reference Gathering:
A mood board helps organize my muse’s random visions into something I can translate into my painting.

lady-of-april---mood-board-lowres
A peek at a small section of Lady of April’s secret board on Pinterest. Read more