Illustration Friday theme: Breezy

This is my entry for Illustration Friday Theme BREEZY

Gouache with pen & ink

by:
Maria Madonna Davidoff

Little Girl Series: How it all started

Well, my Little Girl series paintings started with a daily sketch. Everyday I decided to make a sketch of the little girl. I used a big 18" x 24" newsprint pad for the sketches and they serve as my studies for the final paintings. As you can see, I have lots and lots of them already. All I need to do is choose among one of them and start painting! For the finished piece, I use Acrylic on a gessoed stretched canvas , also size 18 x 24.

Here are my sketches inside my flat drawer:

A more close up view of the Little Girl sketches:

"Little Girl in Autumn"

"Little Girl in Winter"

Now ,here is a sketch and the finished painting of The Little Girl who Draws

The sketch:

And Voila, the finished painting: The Little Girl Who Draws
By Maria Madonna Davidoff

MondayArtday "self portrait 8 yrs old"

Below is a painting I did for MondayArtday's theme
" Self Portrait of myself at Eight":

This painting is part of " The little Girl Series " They were started when my mother just passed. When someone you love very deeply is gone, there will always be an emptiness inside you. I felt very very empty and sad when my mom died and very, very alone. My mother always told me that I will always be her little girl. These paintings are a tribute to that period of my time with her as a child.

Portable studio around the world (Austria)

In Austria, I was invited to participate in an International Art Symposium entitled:"Freistat Burgestein 2005" (International Art Symposium) from July 9-18, 2005 at Laengenfeld, Tirol, Austria. I had to create works which will later be exhibited in Vienna, Telfs, Miemig, :Laegenfeld

Below is where I stayed among other International artists:

And here is my small but efficient studio in Langelfeld, Austria provided by Provita Alpina.

Here I am printing in my studio-
and getting ready for the exhibit in the Tyrolean Alps:

I created my Traveling scroll series here as shown below and also participated in the outdoor exhibit as well as in the Austrian WerkMuseum in the city.

Finally, one of the reviews in an Austrian Newspaper in Tyrol. ( in German)

Portable Studio Around the World (Bali)

As I've mentioned in my previous post, I keep a portable studio that contains mini tools and materials. In Bali, I had a folding easel and stool that has a backpack attached to it . I love this piece of equipment because it is lightweight and foldable plus Ican carry my materials in it as well:




My portable easel and stool/backpack in Bali, Indonesia.
I rented a small bungalow in Ubud, Bali last 2007. I will be going back there again this year. This is me painting in front of my bungalow:

A view from my Bali Bungalow

and my Bali landscape painting:

My Portable Studio around the world

I carry a portable studio with me whenever I can. My portable studio is an assortment of mini art materials and tools that I've collected from different places. I've got mini watercolors, mini brushes that holds its own water container( got this in Tokyo but they now sell it in Pearl Paint NYC)--mini crayon kit, mini markers ( from San Francisco,) ,mini colored pencil from Singapore, small sketch pad and moleskin watercolor book from NYC, and even mini staplers and scissors from Austria. I love to discover other mini tools and materials to include in my portable studio.

The contents are small enough to fit my plastic zippered case that fits my medium size bag .
Well, this weekend, my portable studio came in handy again. I went to the Barnes and Noble in New York City near Lincoln Center and hang out at the cafe. I did some of my color studies there while drinking my iced chai, flavored with passion fruit and bought a sweet treat --my favorite brownies. Yummy!
When I draw or paint in public, I sometimes get comments from other people. One lady beside me remarked that she liked my colors . I like the interaction and I don't mind a few interruptions since being an artist can be a solitary job sometimes. Other places I like to sketch are the parks, forests, the mountains, the beach or anywhere near the water , libraries, museums, even the theatre. Yes, during intermission is a good time to sketch.

Below is my color study:

Actually, I was in another fantastic bookstore called The Bank Street Bookstore uptown. I went there to see a book reading/performance of authorDebi Derryberry. She wrote the book Baby Banana and the Licorice Tree. I loved Debi Derryberry's music especially the ones with the Caribbean beat. Debi is also the voice of Jimmy Neutron on Nickelodeon.
It was very interesting to observe how the children responded --so spontaneously dancing and jumping up and down. I could not sketch because it was jampacked and there was no room, but I was able to get a seat by the window and I took some photos:

As an illustrator, I always to go to bookstores and do my research on what's being published lately, which publishers I think will like my style based on what they are publishing, what book got awards, etc. I always take down notes when I visit. That's me on the right corner:

Graphic Novel (work in Progress)

This is also my entry for Illustration Fridays theme: INSTINCT

My Instinct told me that I must create a graphic novel based on my cousin's childhood in Manila.
Since this is a work in progress, I'd like to share with you my process and the development of my character. I decided to change the spelling of her name from Cita to Sita. That way, I don't need to explain how to pronounce Cita as " see-tah", as seen in my first sketch. I was happy with the way Sita looks--she was a very frail and skinny girl, she's also a half Chinese/half filipina-- I need to emphasize that background of hers as the graphic novel evolves . My cousin told me that because she's half Chinese, growing up in Manila , she was considered a bit of an outsider among the local Filipinos. I called her yesterday from her New York office and she gave me permission to continue with this project using her childhood experiences as my subject.

I know, I know --this is a big endeavor--but it excites me and although I do not really consider myself a writer--, I can try to visually tell her story at least.

So... today, I gave her some color. I also cropped her body. I did not want her to look as if she was praying. Let me know what you think.

My Graphic Novel-Work in Progress

Cita of Manila ( pronounced "see-tah")

This is a work in progress:
My new graphic Novel entitled Cita of Manila

Over dinner in New York City, my cousin told me of her
experiences as a daughter raised by a single mom in Manila.

This is the first page of my graphic novel Cita of Manila:

MondayArtDay Theme: Cliff Hanger

This is a book based on an Asian folktale which I 've illustrated
while living in Singapore where I've set up my art studio from 2006-2007.

A corner of my Singapore art studio shown with my niece, Anna Angeles-Patajo

Fantastic Photos of Cambodia

I just want to share with you this news:

My brother Jolan Angeles , a writer/journalist from the Philippines, had his photos and report of Cambodia posted in CNN iReport page.

The title of his post is:"Cambodia -- home to a sweet, smiling, friendly people" .