Concept sketches for the Star card

But the biggest change for me was sending off The Fairy Tale Tarot into a realm called completion. I felt so many mixed feelings as I let this baby go. Of course, there is the initial euphoria of having realized a personal dream within the dictates of a deadline. But then there is the inevitable post-project comedown after releasing this 5 year mission to the anonymous never land of production, where its fate lies in the hands of others. I shall never do this project again and it is flooding me with all manner of conflicting emotions. It’s always amazing to see one’s work-of-passion make it to the daunting sphere of publication, but the reality of its finality is like an encounter with post-partum confusion.

Final drawing for the Star card

The Star card speaks to me at the present: resonating with my need to let go, mentally gestate and drink up the nourishing light of inspiration before fully immersing myself in studio activities anew. Even my editor told me that I deserve a break after such intensity. And despite my conditioned need to keep working (the ol’ keep on drawing if you wanna eat), I know that she (and those around me who witnessed my years of dedication to this tarot deck) is right. I need to take time to read, sketch, dream, journal, socialize and allow external stimuli to refill my well with renewed creative zeal. I’m entering a season of adjustment from feelings of being an accomplished fairy tale painter to a girl sitting in front of her clean, empty drawing table, an unfamiliar sight after many years of constant artistic activity. I need to allow myself to organize my thoughts and my space before engaging in another spate of blissful creative chaos. And I know I will. This is not the first time I have finished a big project…but I will never have the thrill of doing The Fairy Tale Tarot again! For now, I will enjoy this peaceful interlude and allow the muses to go play outside for a while, with me as the quiet observer sketching without obligation. Soon, I will hold printed tarot kit in hand and will have a host of new feelings to process .

The Star from The Fairy Tale Tarot, watercolor painting

Symbols and meaning:

The Star Maiden flies into the center of the tree thus connecting the spiritual world with the earthly plane: merging the different layers of consciousness. A spiral circulates from her chest, expressing her desire to go be liberated from the confinement of limited ego-driven thinking. The dying leaves are being released from the branches and flow freely. The full moon symbolizes birth, death and resurrection. Lunar activities preside, when fragments of the waking state fill our dreams at night. The faces in the trees represent the collective unconscious and our ability to access ancient knowledge while we dream.
***
It is important to be receptive to dream messages as a means of gaining greater insight and wisdom about our past, present and future. By becoming more aware of our inner dream life, we can become more proactive in our waking lives—actualizing those hopes and dreams that reflect our deepest desires.

~ Lisa

Final painting: The Nightingale as 6 of Cups

I’ve been using the same basic illustrative methodology since my late teens. That is not to say that I haven’t deviated from my technical repertoire, but the basic formula  from initial sketch to finished painting has pretty much remained the same.

First comes the sketch. As you can see from the photo in part 1, I’ve filled many sketchbooks while brainstorming Fairy Tale. The purpose of these drawings-in-the-raw is to help me connect conscious deliberation with automatic delivery.

The sketches represent unfiltered, intuitive thought processes. Oftentimes, the initial sketch (design-wise) looks very much like the finished product. For me, over-contemplation of a drawing dooms it to failure. If it doesn’t flow, I leave it, only to return when inspiration strikes. Some ideas can be fleshed out with immediacy while others need time to ripen before the creative juices are ready to flow. While teaching, I used to tell my students to doodle a series of thumbnails and follow the designs that felt *right*. If it’s not working, take a break or turn to another task in the interim. It’s amazing how effective this was.

Then comes the refined sketch. At this juncture, I would research and acquire reference material such as pics of period costume, accouterments and photos as needed. Here you can see my husband assuming a pose as the spirit.

FINAL DRAWING & TRANSFER

Final Drawing

I then draw on tracing paper, rub the back with a 6B (softness of lead) pencil and transfer it using a 4H (hardness of lead) pencil to final watercolor paper. I use 140lb hot press Waterford paper that I’ve soaked in a bathtub for 15 minutes before stapling it onto watercolor board. As it dries, it tightens up like a drum, thus preventing the paper from wrinkling while painting. The paper I use is rather pricey, so once a transfer is made there is little room for mistakes. If one is made, I integrate the “mistake” into the piece sometimes with a surprisingly positive effect. The drawing is refined using a mechanical pencil before initial watercolor paint is applied.

FIRST WASHES

my wonderful, magical palette

The initial paint application is done in broad water-saturated washes using a 1/2 inch paintbrush (I’ve been using the same large paintbrush for 25 years–talk about quality materials!). Effects like the ones seen around the figures can be achieved by sprinkling salt directly on the washes (a technique I learned from the legendary illustrator/educator Lauren Mills back in the 80s). I love to see what happens as the salt separates the paint from paper, leaving a lovely texture filled with figments of my imagination ready to be born. This is when I paint additional images spontaneously—as I see them appearing out of the paint (some may see this as a sign of madness, I see it as being pellucid-haha). The figures are painted with deliberate technical facility (as I’m a stickler for anatomical accuracy) while the peripheral material is improvised.

The painting in progress.

As I begin to refine the painting, I will slowly limit the water and create details using a dry brush technique (very little water). Upon completion, I’ll put the painting away for a few hours and come back to it for a final review before taking it off the watercolor board. If my rhythm is good, I can usually finish a painting within a week or less, depending on the complexity of the image. How do I know a painting is finished? I listen to that inner voice that tells me “ahhh, it’s done”.

~ Lisa

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The Little Mermaid, Princess of Cups - Early sketch

Usually I’m the conversationalist, the girl who engages herself in the free flowing exchange of ideas, happily segueing from one topic into another with tangential inflections in between. As a former art college teacher, the balance of talking and listening was a wonderful exercise in human interaction.

The Little Mermaid, Princess of Cups - final sketch

Now I was the quiet observer and instead of being enslaved by a protraction of oral recitations, I found just listening to be strangely freeing. Though I couldn’t talk, I could gesticulate and express myself in other ways, a good reminder of the nuances that we tend to take for granted. To smile, put a hand on a shoulder, to hug, pause and look people in the eyes; subtle deliveries full of human sensitivity, compassion and nurturing—universal expressions that transcend language. The good handshake can speak volumes and a smile is wonderfully contagious. I don’t think losing my voice had been a nuisance. Rather it has helped me to be more demonstrative in important, meaningful ways.

The Little Mermaid, Princess of Cups - B&W Drawing

This week I’ve chosen the Little Mermaid (Princess of Cups). This was a piece that flowed like the powerful waves sweeping over the drowning prince. My paintbrush had a voice of its own and spread the watercolor washes with gratifying effect. As I continued painting, everything about the piece felt animated; with the Little Mermaid, prince and sea all coming together in a confluence of divine energy. All the while, the dawning sun emblazons the scene with warmth that hints of what is to come.

The Little Mermaid, Princess of Cups - Final Painting

Be open to the messages of others as you connect with your heart. Listen, feel and show how you feel. And remember, always help others to shine.

~Lisa

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Prince of Cups Final Painting

Animal bride stories are plentiful in fairy tale collections and appear several times in my own Fairy Tale Tarot. I don’t know exactly why, but I’m drawn to the idea of animals testing humans to see if their hearts are truly in the right place. Let’s face it, many (not all) modern humans tend to see themselves as the most superior of sentient creatures (otherwise we wouldn’t be obliterating their natural habitats left and right), but many myths and stories throughout history have presented animals as divine entities. All manner of animal worship has existed and still exists today. Why is this? Are they symbols of our conscience? Who doesn’t have animal visitors in their dreams? What explains their ubiquity in cartoons? Why do they appear as authorities in product advertising? Why do we ooh and ahh whenever there is an anomalous animal encounter? In stories, they almost seem omniscient with their intuitive rapport and demonstrative ways. Perhaps they’re one step ahead of Homo sapiens, recognizing the very fallibilities that prevent us silly humans from attaining a higher sense of self. From what I can tell, animals are born enlightened and live the moment in ways we can only strive to do. Therefore, I believe animal-messengers in fairy tales make total sense. And when animals personified or anthropomorphised are vested with an emotional quality like love, the results to the reader can be quite sublime. It’s hard not to cry about the crestfallen beast, or the injured deer, or the mistreated frog!

Prince of Cups sketch

When the princess bargains with the frog, she does so with a non-consequential mindset–symptomatic of humanity’s ignorance? But when the frog appears at her father’s palace to be part of the princess’ domicile, the princess who sees him as nothing but a repugnant amphibian rejects him. Much to her disgust, she is required to eat and sleep with the frog, after all, her wise father reminds her, “Honor it you must—a promise is a promise!” But in the end, after a particularly violent tantrum, the princess realizes her mistake when her impetuosity results in the frog’s transformation into a prince. Thus the princess’ destiny is changed forever.

Prince of Cups B&W

I have small frog statues and a dragon gargoyle along my front walkway. I’ve seen frogs sitting on their resin likenesses and lizards perched on the sculpted dragon as if they know they’re sacred creatures on this sacred planet—interlocutors in a world where time is no faster than the moment in which they exist. Of course, this makes me wonder why a frog would want to turn back into a human prince in the first place!

Lizard on Frog Photo: Kort Kramer

“To overcome difficulties is to experience the full delight of existence.”
~ Schopenhauer

Most readers of fairy tales will agree: without a quest or challenge, there wouldn’t be much of a story. If we just rolled from one passive day to the next without any input from the dark side, we would quickly languish into states of irrevocable apathy. But do not fear, there is no such thing as sustained bliss; the road of life is filled with potholes and puddles, ready to shake us out of contentment without notice. Just when you think you’re riding smoothly along, you suddenly get thrown off your horse. We’ve all felt the stings of those falls. And usually after dusting off from the blow, we climb right back in that saddle and continue through passageways of uncertainty. We have our survival instincts to thank for that, but we also have our intractable human spirit that has the ability to thrive under challenging circumstances. Still, despite our ability to endure great tests of will, sometimes we can be lead astray by potential defeat or simply lose focus along the way. This can amplify fear, the true monster lurking in the forest ready to swallow up dreams; and it reminds me of one of the articles we must recite in nearly every Taekwondo class:

“Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is the strength to overcome our fears.”

(photos from Lisa's black belt tes)

This is an important ingredient of any hero’s successful ride through hazardous terrain. Courage is the enabler of great feats! If we don’t let that fear monster overwhelm us, we’ll be okay.

Fairy tales serve a multi-tiered function. Not only are they entertaining narratives, but they are reassuring stories that serve to instill hope and possibilities in the face of extraordinary challenges. During the times these tales were told, people were imprisoned in caste systems, faced starvation, were reliant on the movement of the stars and the mercy of mother nature, and subject to all manner of day to day (and often life threatening) difficulties. This is the human condition and it still persists today. Therefore, we still need fairy tales! But under the shadows of stress and sadness awaits the resilient human spirit. Many big achievers rose from the ashes of a distilled society, where illusionary barriers were erected before unreachable glass ceilings. But it did not matter, the perspicacious hero remained transfixed by the possibility of reaching for his/her shining star, undaunted by the risks that would be an inevitable part of the courageous ride.

We can see a wonderful example of this in recent history. During the 2008 presidential season, former President Bill Clinton made a comment during Barack Obama’s quick ascendancy through the primaries: “This whole thing is the biggest fairy tale I’ve seen.” From my perspective, I thought that remark was a vote of confidence for then Senator Obama. We all know what happens in fairy tales! And we all know how the primaries ended! The unlikely hero conquers alleged insurmountable passes, confronts all manner of obstacles, trials and monsters along the way before finally embracing sweet victory. President-Elect Barack Obama traveled the classic hero’s journey from poverty and social uncertainty, through a primary rife with naysayers before becoming the much-celebrated future leader of the free world.

Fairy tales provide roadmaps for our dreams providing timeless messages that still resonate with us today. They expose the triumphant spirit and the possibilities that lie within everyone’s grasp no matter how unrealistic those dreams may seem.
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Dragons, monsters and beasts have always kept me company in my ever-active studio space (and I’m not only talking about my two rambunctious children). The Polish fairy tale Glass Mountain as 7 of Cups, one of my favorite tarot cards symbolically-speaking, provides a wonderful example of difficult climbs navigated by courage and determination. After several attempts by those that failed before him, the hero scales the glass mountain in hopes of a victorious outcome. He encounters all manner of unsavory situations including a ravenous giant bird, the smell of decaying bodies, and a fierce dragon who blocks his entryway to the castle. . .there sat an imposing, smoking dragon eyeing him hungrily. He blocked the path with its mighty tail and looked as though he intended to put an end to the brazen journeyer. The dragon is there to test the youth—it is an illusion and represents obstacles that prevent us from reaching our goals. But the story has a happy ending. The hero exercises courage, passes the test and a big celebration ensues.

If you can visualize your dreams, you have already given yourself the basic tools for turning those dreams into reality. Most of my own accomplishments started as pipe dreams: becoming a professional artist and writer (“starving artist” was part of that equation), getting my Masters degree in 18 months while juggling a full-time life, earning a Black Belt in Submission Taekwondo at almost 42 years of age (refer to my last blog entry) and many other challenging undertakings that required an unwavering belief and a strong sense of determination. These may seem like small feats to some people, but for me, they represent something profound and sacred—they’re part of my own hero’s journey driven by hopes, dreams and courage.

~ Lisa