scary dungeon

scary - dungeon illustration by sandra santa lucia/1961

This week's IF topic is "Scary" suggested by Zach (http://apexart.blogspot.com/).

"All adventures, especially into new territory, are scary." ~ Sally Ride

useless contraption?

pen and ink suitcase of energy saving ideas cartoon by sandra santa lucia for the Banff Crag & Canyon newspaper/12/09

Illustration Friday's October 7 - October 13's topic is "contraption". 

From the pages of The Banff Crag & Canyon's newspaper back in December of '09 my cartoon of "buck the elk's" contraption pokes a little fun at some of the cost efficient and environmentally sound suggestions put forward for The Town Banff and Parks Canada's Utility needs. 

contraption  (kn-trpshn) n. A mechanical device; a gadget.

Topic suggested by karen krings 

wake up…don't hibernate

Elections…so many coming up around the world.

pen and ink cartoon by sandra santa lucia, banff

Back in September 0f 2001 I created a cartoon for the Banff Crag & Canyon's newspaper reminding voters to get out and vote. This cartoon above seemed the perfect illustration for this week's, Sept. 30 to Oct. 6th' Illustration Friday's topic for the week "Hibernate".
“You live like this, sheltered, in a delicate world, and you believe you are living. Then you read a book (Lady Chatterley, for instance), or you take a trip, or you talk with Richard, and you discover that you are not living, that you are hibernating. The symptoms of hibernating are easily detectable: first, restlessness. The second symptom (when hibernating becomes dangerous and might degenerate into death): absence of pleasure. That is all. It appears like an innocuous illness. Monotony, boredom, death. Millions live like this (or die like this) without knowing it. They work in offices. They drive a car. They picnic with their families. They raise children. And then some shock treatment takes place, a person, a book, a song, and it awakens them and saves them from death." ~ Anais Nin Topic suggested by: suggested by Caitriona (http://www.flickr.com/photos/caitrionasweeney/).

mesmerized by stella the elk

pen and ink cartoon illustrated by sandra santa lucia/the banff crag & canyon newspaper/92

Buck was mesmerized by Stella, the elk, during the wildlife wet-t-shirt dance.

Adj.

1.

mesmerizing - attracting and holding interest as if by a spell; "read the bedtime story in a hypnotic voice"; "she had a warm mesmeric charm"; "the sheer force of his presence was mesmerizing"; "a spellbinding description of life in ancient Rome"

IF's, September 16 -22 word of the week is "mesmerizing" as suggested by Kim

boundaries of honesty

published pen and ink cartoon by sandra santa lucia for the banff crag and canyon newspaper  in '95.

This week's topic for illustration friday is "boundaries" 
Media must never overstep the boundaries of honesty, fairness and objectivity.  Facts only please! Opinions belong in editorials and columns not hard news.
"Dreams have always expanded our understanding of reality by challenging our boundaries of the real, of the possible. " ~ Henry Reed
 "boundaries" suggested by Ronni at designing fairy

did this disguise work?

pen and ink cartoon by sandra santa lucia published in the banff crag & canyon newspaper/92

This week's Illustration Friday's topic is "Disguise" suggested by renee.

"Another belief of mine; that everyone else my age is an adult, whereas I am merely in disguise." ~ Margaret Atwood

life studies influenced by professor harry wohlfarth

Back of reclining female -  life study - pastels by sandra santa lucia/1969

Back in 1969 while chatting with the late Janet Ford, a friend,  and a well known Banff artist, I learned that The Banff Centre had an excellent Life Drawing class in the evenings. I Signed up immediately, starting a new revived art journey while Jim stayed home in the evenings looking after our little girls. How fortunate to have the opportunity of studying Life Drawing under the tutorage of Professor Harry Wohlfarth  

Professor Harry Wohlfarth (1921-96) arrived in Canada to lecture in the University of Alberta’s Department of Extension (now a faculty).  He taught for more than three decades.  Wohlfarth and the Extension Faculty played a prominent role in establishing art classes and art schools throughout Alberta.  His efforts led to the formation of the Alberta Community Art Clubs Association (ACACA) in 1968.  Wohlfarth pointed out with pride that he never missed a single class and traveled the length and breadth of the province, all by Greyhound, conducting art classes, judging art shows, and in other ways encouraging development of visual art and artists in Alberta.

Female back - life study - black charcoal by sandra santa lucia/1969

I continued to take  Life Drawing and painting classes up at The Banff Centre after Professor Wohlfarth left.  Over the years Bow Valley residents continued to have wonderful opportunities which were offered by The Banff Centre. Exposure to art, ceramics, music and fiber art at such a high level was truly a gift to all of Banff's residents…very fine era! to view more life studies please go to:  http://banffmaterialartandlines.shawwebspace.ca

This week's Illustration Friday's topic is "Influence", suggested by Emily Wilson (http://www.emilywilsondesigns.com/)

"swell*" (cool*)…fashionable aliens

pen and ink fashionable aliens illustration by sandra santa lucia

These "cool"* fashionably clan female aliens illustrated above are dressed in very stylish graphic evening wear. All eyes are sure to be on them while they make their presence known at the annual extra-terrestrial Mars Disco Dance.

"Swell may refer to:

• Swell*, a slang term for "good", "cool*", or "nifty"
• Swell, another word for a fop, dandy, popinjay, or maccaroni (fashion)   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swell

This week's Illustration Friday's topic is: swell suggested by ruth blohm-hunter

imperfect solution…pure madness!

what if…banff national park wardens could collar butterfly poachers!!—cartoon by sandra santa lucia/sept./'93

"Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius, and it is better to absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring." ~ Marilyn Monroe

This week's Illustration Friday's topic is "Imperfect" suggested by Susan Sorrell Hill (http://susansorrellhill.wordpress.com/). 

smoking…dirty obsession

smoking…a dirty obsession.cartoon illustrated for The Banff Crag & Canyon newspaper.

Obsession — the domination of one's thoughts or feelings by a persistent idea, image, desire , etc. 2. the idea, image, desire, feeling, etc., itself.

Illustration Friday's topic for the week of July 29th to August 5th is "Obession:" suggested by Jessica Wong.

do nothing…relax

pen and ink illustration by sandra santa lucia/82

One remedy for relieving tension is to relax and "do nothing" . 
     This week's , July 1 - July 7th Illustration Friday's topic is "Remedy" suggested by Elizabeth McMahill http://elizabethmcmahill.blogspot.com/ .To do nothing is sometimes a good remedy" ~ Hippocrates

howling…on a midsummer night

wolf pen,ink,wash illustration by sandra santa lucia/6/30/11

Wolves howl to assemble the pack (usually before and after hunts), to pass on an alarm (particularly at a den site), to locate each other during a storm or unfamiliar territory and to communicate across great distances. Could these wolves be howling at the antics of a midsummer night?

This week's illustration friday's topic is "Midsummer Night" suggested by Emily Dimov-Gottshall (http://www.gottshall.com/gallery/emily.htm). "Why this is very midsummer madness" - William Shakespeare

launched — banff tourism bureau

new banff tourism bureau pen and ink cartoon by sandra santa luica/11/3/11

In the spring of 1992 the launch of a new Banff Tourism Bureau took over the duties of the Banff Chamber of Commerce's duties. The Banff Lake Louise Tourism bureau has done Banff proud serving the Town of Banff, Banff National Parks administration as well as the many vibrant businesses and citizens alike. It was at this time while working in the Production department of The Banff Crag & Canyon I was given the opportunity to create a cartoon illustrating the demise of the Banff Chamber of Commerce. Above is my first cartoon for the newspaper. My then cartooning career was launched!
This week's, June 17 - 23's, IF topic is "launch" suggested by Susan Sorrell Hill. "You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment." ~ Henry David Thoreau

swept off their feet

Cougar cubs are born spotted and gradually change into the sandy brown adult form. They live in dens with their siblings for about two months and remain close to their mothers for about a year. One notable difference between a cougar and other big cats is that the cougar can hiss, scream, and growl but it cannot roar.

cougar, cubs and chipmunk pen and ink illustration by sandra santa lucia/6/11

cougar pencil sketch by sandra santa lucia
This week's topic is "Swept" suggested by ssnchan (http://www.ohmytangerine.com/home.html)."You can't sweep other people off their feet, if you can't be swept off your own." ~ Clarence Day elephant sweepint     http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucytakakura/5071222716/in/photostream/

casting a shadow

pen and ink illustration of a lynx by sandra santa lucia/5/9/11

Casting a shadow on the tree branch the Lynx spotted a hare below.
Lynx live in Banff, Yoho and Kootenay National Parks, but not just anywhere in those parks. They establish home ranges in high evergreen forests occupied by snowshoe hare. Further north, in the boreal forest, hare populations rise and fall dramatically every 10 years, shadowed closely by lynx populations.

Lynx pencil sketch by Sandra Santa Lucia/4/84

This week's topic is "Shadows" suggested by michael (http://teako.blogspot.com/).

"I look out the window sometimes to seek the color of the shadows and the different greens in the trees, but when I get ready to paint I just close my eyes and imagine a scene." ~ Grandma Moses

the big sleep

'asleep' ink cartoon illustrated by sandra santa lucia and published in The Banff Crag & Canyon June 23/93

I drew the illustrative cartoon above for the local newspaper — The Banff Crag & Canyon. Below a clip from The Crag explains what happened or didn't happen to that particular Time Capsule.

This week's topic is "Asleep" suggested by Little Pixy Boots http://littlepixyboots.blogspot.com/.

A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book.  ~Irish Proverb

rain soaked days

Pen and ink fashion illustration by sandra santa lucia/24/25/11

The classic 'Trench-coat' is a must for the rain-soaked days of spring and summer. The waterproof 'Trench' has been around for years…decades in fact!
In 1879 a young man by the name of Thomas Burberry invented a special type of fabric for a rain resistant coat. The British army were the first of many armies that ordered the 'Burberry Trench-coat'. Earlier versions of the trench-coat were waterproof and usually calf-length.

Movie go-ores and the style conscious public have witnessed many newly created versions of the old classic Trench-coat over the years. Now you will see short, long, mid-length, glamourous or simple 'Trench-coats'… all of which still have that classic look of the first 'Burberry Trench-coat'.

The edgy black leather trench-coat below is rendered from  Blumarine's Fall 2010 Fashion show. Shinny black leather boots and black studded leather cuffs and collar give this classic trench a rock-chic look.

IF's illustration word of the week  is 'soaked' presented by Alecia  Goodman

safari fashion

Ink rendering of the above colonial safari fashion and lioness by sandra santa lucia /19/5/11

 The word 'safari' is derived from the arabic 'safara' and means 'to make a journey'.  Along with crew and models  film companies and fashion photographers alike make that very safari to Africa.  
Africa, entices fashion designers, photographers and film companies from around the world to its tremendous wealth of  amazing scenery and wild animals such as the lionesses below. The lioness is a female member of the species Panthera leo. Lionesses are the core members of, and primary hunters for each pride or primary social group of lions. 
One film in particular comes to mind that exemplifies the beauty and costumes of Africa…that movie being — 'Out of Africa'. The colonial safari fashion; worn by Merle Streep was designed by Milena Canonero who was nominated for an Academy Award for her designs. Why she wasn't chosen is beyond me…her designs were magnificent. 
This week's, May 13  - 19, Illustration Friday's topic is "safari" suggested by Jill .

fashion trends…new beginnings

Pen and ink illustration rendering by Sandra Santa Lucia 5/11

The science of fashion design stems from ones creative ideas, ideas that are constantly changing…a new beginning every time the pen is put to paper.
"What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from" — T. S. Eliot.
A new fashion season will soon be upon us, the latest fashion trends of Fall 2011 will have our full attention. If you track back to any Fashion Week roundups, you'll see that there are plenty of trends to get excited about.
In the illustration above I  choose to illustrate the following fashion icons. All of these four designers have very different and distinctive styles, all creating new designs for the beginning of our next fashion season…fall 2011.  Starting at the far left to right: (a) Jil Sander —minimalist designs…sense of simplicity. (b) Alexander McQueen — sexy and distinctive…dramatic and controversial. (c) Stella McCartney — a play on modern shapes…think graphic. (d) Christian Dior — glamourous and feminine…opulent. They, along with many other well known designers are all featured on Elle's blog.
This week's Illustration Friday's May 6th - 12th topic is "beginner" was suggested by Wendi Chen (http://wendichen.blogspot.com/). "A man ceases to be a beginner in any given science and becomes a master in that science when he has learned that he is going to be a beginner all his life." — Robin G. Collingwood .   Collingwood’s principal contribution to aesthetics was The Principles of Art. He portrayed art as a necessary function of the human mind, and considered it collaborative, a collective and social activity. True art, he believed, created an “imaginary object” which could be shared by the artist with his public. In viewing art or listening to music, the audience imaginatively reconstructed the artist’s creative thought.

the dance…a lesson of love

 " then there was the dance"… wagging tales book illustration a ink drawing by
 sandra santa lucia/published 2009

Training paddy to dance, a lesson of love. In chapter eight of Wagging Tales, Dorts Stafford's book about her family and many four legged friends there is a wonderful story about Paddy the dog and Barrie, Dorts eldest boy.
Barrie happened to be Paddy's favorite child. Being the oldest, he understood more about what a dog would tolerate and enjoy. He could sit on him and teach him tricks. Barrie would play ball with him and Paddy would retrieve it then saunter back to him, hoping Barrie would throw it again. Then there was the dance. Barrie would hold Paddy's front legs on his shoulders and they would prance about while we all laughed at the sight. They were good buddies.
      The illustration for Illustration Friday's April 29 - May 5 topic portrays Barrie and Paddy dancing. This week's word "lesson" was submitted by  Susan Sorrell Hill.

royal wedding hat fever

ink fashion hats illustration by sandra santa lucia/4/2011

let the Royal Wedding begin…1980s to 2008 hats
The last of my three illustrations are complete…just in time for the Royal Wedding. Expect to see  hats of all shapes and sizes, this wedding will be the main headline for all fashion magazines and outlets throughout the world…let the Royal Wedding begin. Below are hats from the 1980s to 2008.

• 1960s: Left: A  pillbox hat is a small woman's hat with a flat crown and straight, upright sides. Jacqueline Kennedy, First Lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, well-known for her 'signature pillbox hats' in the 1960s, designed by Oleg Cassini. The sixties boosted of a great many glamorous hats.
• 1980s: Top centre: small hat with a slightly shallow crown and a round brim accented with lace vail surfaced during the late 70s and 80
• 2000s: Right: There have been fans of floppy hats for as long as women have wanted to shade themselves from the sun. But over the years the style has grown out from its roots as the hat of choice for not only lounging by the pool and digging in the back yard garden but the floppy is back in the fashion magazines. Hats have taken on a new younger look. Our soon to be Royal Princess, Kate Middleton is setting the pace with very stunning hats. 

hats…a fashionable essential

ink hat parade from 1789 to 1912 illustrated by sandra santa lucia/04/2011 

Hat parade…1789 — 1912 
Through the ages one sees a wide variety of hats. Initially the headwear offered protection from the elements, injury from falling rocks, weapons or masonry. Later head coverings became symbols of status of authority. Soon after hats progressed to become not only a uniform, but also an art form. 
On the day of the Royal Wedding the world will be treated  to an extraordinary range of couture millinery.  Continuing on with a few more hat sketches I choose, researched and sketched three very different hats. The vast numbers of hats between 1789 to 1912 was phenomenal.

• 1789:  Centre: Large brim hat in the shape of a mushroom and made with white muslin, trimmed with large bows of velvet.
• 1808: Left:  Riding hat: A version of the masculine top-hat which replaced the Directoire jockey hat. Fashioned with silk or coloured beaver, often had a gauze veil which floats behind in the breeze.
• 1912: Right: In 1900 the Edwardian period was not as universally wide as is sometimes thought. The new century began with a continuation of art nouveau influence in fashion  and as skirts swirled around the feet of women forming in fans like bell flowers, so did hats swirl and swoop around the head as in the 1912 felt hat illustrated above. This felt hat was ornamented with swirls of fine silk and worn well over the head with the left side higher than the right.  
• Watch for more hats to come from mid-1900 to 2011

Note: reference material from "The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Costume and Fashion" by Jack Casin-Scott          

period hats making a statement…1300 - 1600

hats from 1377—left, 1500 — centre, 1678 right ink illustration by sandra santa lucia/4/2011 

The Royal Wedding, Friday, April 29 will soon be upon us.  The women whom will be in attendance will no doubt be wearing the very latest and most stylist of hats.  A real Hat parade! — designs of which may  have had a link to the millinery delights of the past.

Just for the heck of it I thought I would sketch a few hats from the 1300 —1600 century.  Who knows one just may catch a glimpse of a design which may have inspired a hat designer to one of his/her creations at the wedding.

• 1377 :  Left:  depicts a  Caul, which is a historical headdress worn by women that covered tied-up hair. The drawing below shows the hair completely hidden and covered by a decorative gem and  gold embroidered Caul over which was attached an ornamental padded roll.
• 1500:  Centre: The German/Swiss mercenary soldiers known as Landknecht, also created a mixture of fashion which included a flat (platter hat) felt brimmed hat which was slashed and decorated with feathers. Soon women were adapting the men's Landknecht hat to suit themselves. They covered their hair with a jewelled Caul and attached colourful feathers to the flat felt hat.
• 1678:  Right: Headdress (Hennin) was the 'cornet' — a lawn cap which had a standing frill in front and long lappets falling behind the shoulders, or tied in front under the chin. More hats to come — watch for more sketches from the 1700 to 1900 centuries
• Note: the rendered drawings were from The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Costume and Fashion by Jack Cassin-Scott.

life is like riding a bicycle…albert einstein

 "wagging tales" book illustration by sandra santa lucia/ink/2010 

"I taught him to walk on a leash and he (buddy) was always game to run after me when I was on my bike".  — dorts stafford author of wagging tales a book about a Banff family and their love of dogs.
April 22 -28's Illustration Fridays topic is "bicycle" chosen by glenda baker. "Life is like riding a bicycle…in order to keep your balance you must keep moving" — albert einstein, won the nobel prize in physics 1921.

painting eggs…a fun-filled easter journey!

"bunnies little" ink sketch by sandra santa lucia, 24/4/2011

Bunnies Little were having so much painting the Easter eggs that they completely lost track of time! …Big Bunny needed these eggs now for the annual Easter Egg Hunt .

"big bunny" pen and ink illustration by sandra santa lucia/ 4/2010

Big Bunny, although understanding the creative journey which the bunnies little were on realized that he needed to hurry them along! Once the need of urgency was established, the decorated eggs were gathered up and dropped into Big Bunnies huge magic basket. Off he ran— ever so fast. His Easter Egg deadline completed for another year! Illustration Friday's April 15 - 21 topic was journey which was suggested by botanick. "Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it."

 HAPPY EASTER everyone!