Showing posts with label inspiration. Show all posts

Monday, July 22, 2024

the art of life: character design

wonder | wander | women have a new project! It's good to get back into drawing for comics again. Of course every project, especially one that tells a story, naturally comes with a slew of research.

what we read & how it defines our storytelling

It's summer reading list time! For bookworms and nerdy story lovers like us wonder |wander | women we share this Longreads list with you. Questioning the Stories We Hold: A Reading List Inspired by Annie Ernaux.

Illustration by Krista. Images by Getty Images.

“Annie Ernaux reminds me that sometimes things find their meaning only in hindsight.” by Bekah Waalkes - January 19, 2023.

As Sheila Heti writes in the New York Times: “Most memoirs operate as if the past were right there and can be looked at, like a painting on the wall. But Ms. Ernaux understands that one’s 18-year-old self is a stranger to one’s 70-year-old self.”

August 2020 world wide events

wonder | wander | women are happy to include all and enjoy wide and diverse occasions to celebrate. August is a month that packs many special holidays - both enjoyable and solemn.

Religious festivals, stellar sights, harvest celebrations, cultural extravaganzas - even with most of the public gatherings significantly scaled down due to travel restrictions or pandemic lockdowns - communities and families gather together more intimately.

Perseid Shower - Tucson AZ - Eliot Herman

Anno Mitsumasa, part 2

We've talked about Anno Mitsumasa's whimsical sense of humour and Western-influenced travel books. This week we look at the illustrator's more traditional work, his sense of drama and awareness of scenic beauty.

let SHEdom reign

wonder | wander | women love to share aspects of our lives from both sides of the world. East, where we were born and raised. West, where we have relocated and have our adoptive homes now.

cherry blossom time

The wonder | wander | women have definitely watched too many Japanese films. We've seen many historical sword battles or the slow grieving process of a family losing a loved one. Meanwhile in every film, cherry trees (or sakura) in full bloom shed petals like tears in the background, reminding us about the transient beauty of human life.

Who is Wonder Woman?

In a world enamored with the mystery and magic of creation myths, the origin and history of Wonder Woman stands out.

The iconic character of Wonder Woman has inspired and impacted many of us for many generations.

As idol and hero, she is the ideal symbol of womanhood, protector of truth, and upholder of good.

Confident and determined, she is a warrior of heart and soul.

ash wednesday

Penitence is a huge part of Catholic culture, and today marks one of our most symbolic rituals of penance. Ash Wednesday heralds the beginning of the season of Lent, the 'forty days and nights' that commemorate Christ's wanderings in the desert.

John St. John Long, 'The Temptation in the Wilderness' (1824)
courtesy of tate.org.uk

the times they are a-changing

The world woke up to the news that Bob Dylan won the Nobel prize in literature.

Many are still in shock and we're guessing Bob is too.

No one predicted Dylan’s victory and yet Bob has done it again.

InkTober: taking a line for a walk.

It's October and artists everywhere, even digital and 3D masters, are digging out their pens and paper. Every year hundreds of illustrators and animators join the InkTober Initiative, created by illustrator and teacher Jake Parker. Mr Parker says he started InkTober in 2009 to strengthen his inking skills and develop positive drawing habits.

Digital sketch, Photoshop

Phone Photography: shooting from the hip

Both the wonder | wander | women have jobs that require a lot of pictures. Often we're lucky enough to have a professional photographer or experienced Instagrammer on site to provide pictures for our copy. Increasingly though, we're becoming used to just pulling out our standard smartphones and taking the pictures ourselves.

We look at so many selfies and unpracticed 'foodstagrams' that we might forget we're living in a great democratic age for amateur photography. It's never been easier to create a visual record.

But a casual snapshot does not make a good story. A photograph needs drama and dynamism, especially when illustrating a blog post or company tweet. We picked up some good tips from our experience and from helpful colleagues and wanted to share them here.

In Retrospect: our year in review

On April 10, wonder | wander | women launched our first post, touching down and reaching out. A little over a year later and over 100,000 readers, we take a look back on our favourites, our most popular posts, and tributes to our inspirations.

Florence: let there be art!

In our last post on Florence, we talked about the city itself, its architecture, features and the beautiful statues in the piazzas. It was amazing to see the churches and museums, but we were also privileged to go inside and see the incredible work that went into Florentine interiors.

Saints flanking the altar at San Miniato

Gorgeous medieval paintings decorating the Cardinal of Portugal Chapel

Restorers were actually doing on-site work in the Basilica di Santa Croce. On one hand the chancel was no longer very photogenic, but we were fascinated by the work and wished we could have a closer look.

Siena: get medieval

Last spring, this mother-daughter artist duo were handed the most incredible opportunity: to visit that famous hub of the Renaissance, Italy! In May we flew out to Tuscany with our family.

I was coming from London and Mom from New Jersey. It was her first time in Europe and we were so excited to spend this holiday together!

A view of the medieval district from the modern side,
featuring the Torre del Mangia.

Our first tourist visit was to the medieval centre of Siena, a city famous for its patron saint Catherine and for the artists who created the rich brown pigment that bears its name.