More than one art teacher told me not to include any words at all because the picture spoke for itself, or at least it would if it was a good one.
Then I studied graphic design and was taught that words and text go hand in hand. Go figure.
What it has come down to in the end is that text is a tool. It can be used in many ways in combination with an image and depends on the message or idea you are trying to communicate.
In this particular image, the text is a texture, a filler, but as a lover of the printed word, it is also something that brings me comfort, even when I cannot discern the words.
However, in making this pattern, I took a minimalist and modern route. Although it takes a cue from traditional striped and floral wallpaper, I tried to keep it very clean and almost geometrical with lots of white space and bold colors to make it vibrant, but simple.
I'm so into old-fashioned things that the last bicycle I owned was an old Robin Hood 3-speed with all its original parts and I refused to get a new seat, despite the fact that my bottom would have appreciated it, because I didn't want to break up the set, so to speak.
So, it's almost a no brainer that when challenged to illustrate a bicycle I would do so in an old-fashioned way with a classic old-fasioned model. I've always wanted to ride one of these, but then I'm so short, it frightens me to think of how I'd manage it. It'll have to stay in my fantasy world of cool things I'd like to do one day, but never might.
One of my favorite things in the world is tea. I love drinking a good quality black tea with nuances of fruity flavor. My favorite thing to do is to sit down with a hot cup and sip as I read. Being an avid reader, I do this as often as possible. It has practically become a daily ritual after work, or before bedtime. Near my workplace, there is a coffee shop that serves excellent tea lattes and I have succumbed to frequenting that place every day at break time. I had always made fun of coffee lovers who have to get their fix and cannot pass a coffee shop without stopping. I have now joined the throng that treks daily to these places, except I keep a little bit of individuality by always ordering the tea.
Thank you, Monday Artday, for choosing me for the winning entry for the theme Old Me! The challenge was to make a self-portrait of oneself as a really old person.
So kawaii is this cutesy form of illustration from Japan. I've mostly seen it as smiley faces on cupcakes. It's very symmetrical and geometrical for the most part with round soft edges and bright or pastel colors. The most famous representative of the style is Hello Kitty. As an answer to a challenge, I made the following illustration. The theme was cute object and the suggested style was kawaii.
