I’ve been busy the past week, but not just with my gardening work. I’ve been burning the candle at both ends to get a wedding commission finished.
My friend Carla approached me about Save the Date cards, and the brief she gave me was this:
I love the style of the buildings and the colours and the whole time-warp feel. Walking down the streets there was Spanish in the air, bird markets and cigar smoke. It was hot, colourful and laid back, salsa beats heard on nearly every corner and a cold mojitos waiting for you in the cool bars. There was also carnivals that seemed to have impromptu parades though the streets.
Instead of making individual cards, I suggested that I create a painting which she could then use to have cards printed – which also meant that she would have the original piece of art to keep forever.
I really enjoyed working on this. The research was interesting, and I had a great time finding out about Cuba (having never been I was starting from a complete blank!). I finished the inkwork first, and then took a scan which I sent to the bride-to-be for approval before I started adding the colour (please click on the image to view a larger version):
I have to say that I do rather like the monochrome version! Colour was desired though, and that was fun too (although a little scary – I was terrified I’d ruin several days work in a second). The finished version is this:
I’m really pleased with this piece. I tried to capture the evocative essence of Cuba, but without falling back on too many clichés (so, no Che Guevara or cigars!). I knew that Carla wanted something vibrant, but I was hoping to achieve that whilst still maintaining a certain subtlety – and I think I’ve managed it.
