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

The Birthstone Goddesses Collection, A Retrospective + Future of the Project?

It’s the end of an era for me with the Birthstone Goddesses wrapping up!  I thought it only proper to send the project off with a look back at how it evolved over the years I spent on it.  This journey started as a simple set of 12 paintings for a calendar and ended up being so much more!

The Birthstone Goddesses

These paintings started it all!  Lady of December was the original first entry into the series in 2014 as a gift to my mother inspired by Alphonse Mucha’s Precious Stones series.  A couple of years later, the idea to continue with a series of similar paintings came to me.

The Birthstone Goddesses Masquerade

At the start of the series, I was also invested in leathercrafting as a hobby and wanted to explore the themes of flowers and birthstones via masks as well.  Each one of these is a limited edition of 10 per mask, some adorned with crystals and all hand-tooled and painted.  With the way the movement of Art Nouveau also extends beyond 2D art into jewelry, textiles, etc., I found masks to be a poetic addition to the Birthstone Goddesses’ growing ouevre.  (There are still a few masks left in my Artisan shop for anyone seeking a unique cosplay or display piece.)

(The masks were photographed by the talented Winter Wolf Studios).

The Visage Collection

Over the course of creating the paintings, I also started thinking about the prospect of creating a book, which I thought would look lovely if I started each section with a thematic banner of each Goddess.  And thus the Visage collection was born! Inspired by the gorgeous hand mirrors and cameo necklaaces from the Art Nouveau movement.

The Enamel Pin Designs

Once again, I was tempted to explore more wearable art forms by enamel pins, which I also thought would make a beautiful collectible item that would work with Goddess-themed gift sets.  The form of these pins were inspired by the cameo jewelry of Art Nouveau.  These designs were also used for stickers.

Ink & Gold Drawings

These drawings were created to promote the enamel pin designs as luxury tiers for the pins’ Kickstarters, stripping down the pin designs into elegant ink and gold.

Embellished Mats

I created these hand-drawn mats accented with gold leaf especially for display at cons. Several of them were sold before I had a chance to photograph them, as I created the full set of 12, one for each Lady.

The Little Gem Goddesses

During the coloring book’s Kickstarter, one of the stretch goals was the fun idea to do chibi versions of the Birthstone Goddesses.  Luckily they were unlocked and thus the Little Gems were born!  They’re a fun addition to this otherwise very serious series.

The Fashion Illustrations

Each Goddess’ painting was meticulously researched, planned, and rendered, including a fashion sketch on a croquis form to sort out the Goddess’ visual themes and dress.  All of these originals are still available in my shop with the exception of Lady of January’s sketch.

The Goddesses’ Windows

Each painting in the series also called for thematic mandala designs for their ‘windows’ that appear behind their heads in the main series’ paintings.  At some point, I’d like to do more with these designs to let the non-figural designs shine in all their intricate elegance.

Birthstone Goddesses Amulets

These designs were made as stickers for my Patreon Patrons, as well as what I hope will be enamel amulet necklaces I’ll be crowdfunding in the future.

Books & Misc

At the beginning of this journey, it was always my intent to create a wall calendar.  A coloring book and Lady of Eternity themed products arrived later as Patreon exclusives.  The Lady of Eternity enamel pin based on the drawing on the limited edition print is still an exclusive badge of honor for those Patrons who supported this series early on.

The Final Tally

125 creations, not including unique designs re-arranged for product designs like totes, pouches, etc.

  • 14 Paintings
  • 72 Drawings
  • 25 Pin and Amulet Designs
  • 12 Mask Designs
  • 6 Kickstarter projects
  • 1 book
  • 1 calendar

The Future of the Goddesses?

While I’m wrapping up the Birthstone Goddesses collection for now, it was always my intent that I could return to the wider Gemstone Goddesses theme and explore other gem-related Goddesses.  It’d be a chance for me to break away from the Mucha style and try other visual approaches.  I also feel that I have a few more ideas for additional paintings involving some of the Birthstone Goddess characters that I’d love to include in a prospective Birthstone Goddesses art book collecting all of the images you see here.

However, after 6 years, I desperately need some space before I take on creating a book collection for them.  I want to allow myself some creative freedom and a chance to thoroughly rest before I try anything else.

It’s strange to think what’s happened in my life during this 6 year span as well. I’ve gotten married, moved 4 times, helped my husband through his fight with lymphoma, heart failure, and job loss, had several surgeries, and so much more.  Life has been coming at us sideways for so long, I’m happy to be at an ending now that I can savor and appreciate!

It’s been quite the journey and I’m so grateful for those who provided encouragement and support along the way!  Thanks to everyone who pitched into my Patreon, supported my Kickstarters for this project, and left a kind word of encouragement in the years I’ve been doing this.  It helped my husband and I survive during rough times, as well as let me focus more on the art that helped the Birthstone Goddesses happen.

This entry is already long enough, so I’m going to leave off here!  I have some thoughts and feelings about the future of this Patreon and what art I’ll be sharing here that I’ll discuss in a later entry.  For now, let us bask and enjoy this moment of accomplishment!

– 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