IT STARTED WITH DREAMS OF WARMER, LONGER DAYS…
I designed this Ostara illustration to celebrate the equinox. The day that the night and day are equal in length and that means, we are heading into longer days and warmer temperatures! Yay! Gosh, I can't wait. I keep thinking of swimming in the sea and humid walks in the forest with my kids. Until then, bursting buds, magnolias and blossom will make me endlessly happy.
ABOUT THE LORE
This illustration is about dark and light, masculine and feminine, and is officially the first day fo Spring! Ostara takes it’s name after the Germanic goddess and festivals celebrating Ostara where held throughout Spring. In Celtic tradition, the hare is sacred to the Goddess and is the a symbol for the moon. In some mythologies the goddess Ostara is associated with serpent energy. And so this illustration shows the hare and serpent entwining and growing as Spring arrives; abundant with celandine flowers and blossoming foliage.
ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATION
This illustration was completed fully in Procreate on my iPad. I started by reading a lot around the topic and sketched out motifs and ideas which I wanted to include. I knew it needed to have a hare, a snake and Celandine flowers - as these are one of the first flowers to burst open in Spring.
From there, I sketched out a rough draft layout in procreate and set to work on the black line work first. I do this digital inking stage the a similar way that graphic artists would approach it, except I don’t use real ink - it is all done with my Apple Pencil and iPad. Once that is complete, I start the colour. I do not add the colour until I am completely happy with the black ink work.
Colour is really important to me, as is lighting. From experience, flat dull lighting does not work for me. My illustrations bring make joy (and hopefully the viewer) when there is interesting lighting happening. :)
Once the illustration is complete, I tweak colours, contrasts, brightness etc to make the illustration pop!
Then it is ready to be added to a rage of items. yay! I did it!
This illustration took me a month to complete. I worked on it around client pieces, kids school half term holidays and illness. it felt never ending at times but I got there in the end.