Nuns, Sons, and Funds
Day made!
A customer purchased Our Lady of Guadalupe for her work office, and I was delighted when she shared this with me! How beautiful is that?!
Illustration Update
For those who have been following for awhile, you know that I am illustrating a charming children’s book, written by Kim Armbrustmacher. For those who haven’t heard about it, you can read more here. I’m excited to share that I just passed another big milestone in this process. I finished all of the sketches! So now, it’s on to painting.
What I’ve learned so far:
Don’t force it. If a sketch isn’t coming together, or an idea isn’t flowing…just pouring more time into it is usually not worth it. This is a great way to waste HOURS of time. Sometimes completely re-thinking the composition helps. Other times I just have to step away for the day.
Using actual models is the way to go. It has been invaluable to have family members modeling as the characters in the book. So far models have included my son, brother, sister-in-law, nephew, mom, and dad. This makes the sketching phase much shorter. I learned that the hard way! Here are some of the actual pictures I used for sketching.
Sketching inspo Themes for inspiration. Two themes that I keep coming back to are: Connection and emotion. As I planned each picture and how I wanted to portray the story, these two things were at the forefront of my mind. I would ask myself - “How can I communicate through a picture the love and connection between the characters in this story?” And “What emotion am I trying to express in this picture?”
The Painted Sanctuary Community
A major reason that I moved this newsletter to Substack is so that people who appreciate the art that I create can more easily support it. If that is you, please consider becoming a Patron of my art!
What does it mean to be a Patron?
Patrons support me with a monthly stipend, yearly payment, or one-time gift. This support empowers me to continue doing this work that I feel called to do and that I love. Your dollars go directly to things like - paying the mortgage, buying diapers, and re-stocking art supplies. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
What’s up and coming?!
There are only 12 weeks left until Christmas (mind blown!) I plan to offer Christmas cards again this year. What I would love to know from you is:
Thanks again for being here.
Have a lovely October.
-Kristina