Illustration Inspiration

Recently my parents surprised me with The Art and Flair of Mary Blair, a showcase of the ever-talented "Disney Legend". Blair's conceptual work on Alice in Wonderland, Peter Pan, and Cinderella is partially what inspired me to consider concept art as a future career, and since researching her art more, my heart is dead-set on joining the world of illustration. Her use of colors, linework, and complete control of shape are what truly set her apart in the world of illustration and she's inspired thousands of others in her work both in Disney and outside of it, too.

(Art by Mary Blair for Disney's Peter Pan)

(Art by Mary Blair for Disney's Cinderella)

I think what I love most about her style is the mix of lineless & lined shapes, and the subtle value changes to create such a wonderful atmosphere in all of her pieces. With every illustration comes a new story, a new feeling, and an overall sense of wonder. 

(Saludos Amigos by Mary Blair, 1943)

Recently I've been really pushing myself when it comes to my own illustrations and I've been trying hard to step out of my comfort zone. I recently re-installed the driver to my Huion tablet that'd been lying around my room for months to see if I could get it to work again, and voila! Getting used to a bigger workspace and different pen sensitivity has been another challenge on top of forcing myself to draw more than I have before. I usually shy away from backgrounds, or even establishing somewhat of a scene, but with these two illustrations I forced myself to attempt something, anything, to at least give it more substance. 

As you can see, I've drawn a bit of influence from Mary Blair, but at the same time I'm building off of my own style that has developed on its own throughout the years. I think the biggest challenge in both of these illustrations was simply starting them. Backgrounds for me have always been daunting, and these are very simple, easy ones. Yet, I still struggled, I'll admit that. However, to become better, as my parents have reminded me before with both drawing & sports, you have to get through a lot of bad to get to the good. 

I'm looking forward to pushing myself even more with future illustrations, and hopefully with a tablet that has a workspace larger than 4x6, I can push my art even further. Well, thanks for reading and goodbye for now lovelies!