Fairy Tale for a Modern Woman

Today I was inspired by a blog post in the Hairpin to write my own "Fairy Tale for a Modern Woman." Here it is...

Once upon a time there was a woman who liked to learn. By middle age she was good at many, many things but none of these brought her the satisfaction she craved. The woman realized that a change was in order — her point-of-view was sitting cock-eyed in her head. So she shoved and twisted and man-handled that stubborn point-of-view until it was in a new and brave-faced shape. Then she saw the truth…happiness was inside her, it always had been, she just hadn’t noticed. After that, she lived happily…for the most part anyway.

The End.

For those who don't know me I'm an artist who writes, paints, and illustrates real and no-so-real things. One day, I hope to paint a picture of the ugly Queen and show the world that her heart is really quite lovely, she's just been stuck with an ugly mug.

You can follow me on Facebook at Flying Pony Studios or on Twitter at @saralightwaller.

Mini-Stories

 Misadventure # 315

Ginger juice gives me the ability to Time Slip. The last incident went badly. I now have a penny-farthing stuck in my kitchen. Arrgh!

Study for the Constellation Canis Major

“Study for the Constellation Canis Major” 8” x 11” casein.
Copyright, Sara Light-Waller, 2015

Let me start by saying that Canis Major is a tough shape. The poor dog has to sit up to fit all the star positions correctly. And this shape is just plain awkward! In the old star maps Canis Major is shown as a greyhound, a coursing hound. (All the better to chase Lepus, I suppose.)  I decided to change him to another rabbit-hunting breed, the Maltese Pharaoh Hound. I thought the Pharaoh Hound's erect ears and reddish color might add interest to the constellation's otherwise static shape.

In order to show the dog’s color in harmony with the star field, I shifted my previous yellow/purple color palette to orange/blue. I also changed the look of the stars within the dog, making them bright points of light.

So how did the study work out? 

So-so. 

I like the way the colors turned out, in both the star field and the dog. That said, I prefer the warmer yellow/purple palette to the cooler, orange/blue scheme. I also like the way I painted the stars in Lepus better, they’re more subtle and allow better appreciation of the animal as a whole.

"Study for the Constellation Lepus"
Copyright, Sara Light-Waller, 2015

What's next?

I may do some sketches of Canis Minor and see how he can work in the composition for my final painting. Because the little dog has less stars in his constellation I may be able to put him into a more dynamic running position without compromising the look of the old star maps. More to come on this soon...

Study for the Constellation Lepus

"Study for the Constellation Lepus" 8" x 10" casein
Copyright Sara Light-Waller, 2015

For a little while now I’ve been writing a fairytale as a series of linked drabbles (100-word stories). “A Patchwork Tale” is planned as a story in three parts, with illustrations in pen & ink and watermedia. Eventually, I’d love to publish it as a bound book. We’ll have to see how that goes later on.

For now, I’m writing Part II and starting the illustrations. Here's a detail study for the first painting. This one is called, "The Constellation Lepus." I'll do two more studies like this one before starting the final painting.
 

If you’re interested in reading Part I of “A Patchwork Tale” you can find it on my other blog: Through the Looking Glass.

New Years Wishes from Flying Pony Studios!

Wishing all my friends a very happy New Year, 2015!

Ah, the new year…there are always resolutions, aren’t there? And then you break them…So ultimately, no one bothers to make them anymore. But I’m going to do this year. My resolutions are as follows: to keep up with my painting, plein air and in studio, building up my skills as a watermedia painter. Also, I will be publishing a book (one of them that’s almost ready) and perhaps more than one in 2015! It’s been an intense couple of years of writing and illustration just to get here and now it’s time to bring it all home. *smile*

On that note…here are some of my most recent illustrations, created for my “Patchwork Tale” a series of mini-stories written as linked drabbles (100-word stories). I’ve got it (still in progress) posted on my other blog, www.saralightwaller.com/ in case you’d like to see something of my writing at long last. ha-ha!

 

"The Elfin-Queen and her Griffin," 8” x 10” pen & ink drawing

"The Elfin-Captain," 9” x 12” pen & ink drawing

“Clockmaker, the Sorceress,” WIP 9” x 12”

Have a great year everyone!