Poetry, they say, is the language of love.
I definitely think poetry is romantic. My Webster dictionary defines romantic as: 1. Of, relating to, or characteristic of romance. 2. Given to feelings or thoughts of romance. 3. Conducive to romance. 4. Imaginative but impractical: VISIONARY. 5. Not based on fact: IMAGINARY. 6. Of or characteristic of romanticism in the arts.
Yes, I must confess, I am a romantic person. I am imaginative, and am especially given to creative visions in relationship to words I read in manuscripts. I think that’s why I enjoy being a creative so much.
But sometimes the vision of an illustration does not come after the words, but rather, the illustration inspires a story.
Story Inspiration.
In talking with other creatives I’ve heard that some are most often inspired by the words first, and others are inspired by their words to create their storyboard. Regardless of which order an artist is inspired to create, I think it is safe to say all are inspired by what is witnessed in the wonderous world and people around us.
I have always been inspired by people. The beauty in their character and characteristics.
MG Inspiration.
This piece I am posting was inspired by a posting of a request for Middle Grade illustration by a publishing house Art Director. I had some washes I created of kids about that age group so I decided to build them up with layered paper. The faces and positions I had just happened to play into the vision I was hoping to portray. I titled it poetry, because it has an element of romanticism to it. MG is a time of ‘coming of age.’ It is a time when words capture the imagination of youth, give voice to our emotions and drive. It is a time when we start to yearn for the special ‘personal’ attention of someone whom we find interesting, and let’s face it, someone who catches our eye visually.
I tried to capture that longing in this piece done in gouache, color pencil, and paper collage. As I pieced it together I recalled my MG years. A time when we are given to feelings or thoughts of romance. I wanted a boyfriend. Someone to dance with at school dances. But alas, it was not meant to be. Perhaps that was the beginning of my becoming a romantic. If the situation couldn’t be realized, at least I could imagine it, and put it into a vision on paper.
Keep putting your words and visions to paper so that romanticism will always live on.