Land Air & Sea Handbag Mini-Collection

Dreaming up collections of end-product designs is one of my favorite pass times. Collecting, drawing and painting the motifs, choosing fabrics, materials, shapes, and frills…ooohhhh the possibilities! The only limit is my imagination. I find vintage style handbags to be especially fun and interesting, and an excellent source of inspiration. Over the years these gems have taken on many shapes and been adorned with countless trimmings and textures. With that being said, I got the idea to design three handbags. Land, air, and sea inspired.

Hindsight always intrigues me. One thing leading to the next in organic and unexpected ways. Looking back at the creation of my Land Air & Sea Handbag Mini-Collection, I realize that it was also the inception of something grander in my creative journey. I tapped into something that I’ve become a little bit obsessed with. More on this as we explore how each handbag came to be.

Land Handbag

While the motifs for the Air Handbag and Sea Handbag seemed more obvious to me, I struggled a bit with pulling together a theme for my Land motifs. I’ve always found, what are traditionally considered weeds, to be charming and interesting. Often dainty in nature, flaunting pretty little flowers and unique shapes. They pull me in for a closer look and I often end up snapping a few shots with my camera phone. So, back to the struggle…it was a drizzly, gloomy March day. I took my pup out on a walk hoping to conjure some inspiration for my Land motifs. I wasn’t off my property before I spotted a lovely patch of, yep, weeds. They nestled together, growing harmoniously in their abundant variety. I found it to be quite beautiful.

And just like that, I had a theme for my Land motifs. I walked slowly being very watchful for any weeds that I thought worthy, and by the time I returned home with my pup, I was ready to start drawing.

And just like that, I had a theme for my Land motifs. I walked slowly being very watchful for any weeds that I thought worthy, and by the time I returned home with my pup, I was ready to start drawing.

Air Handbag

A heavily ornate, yet, elegant handbag offers a lot of versatility. It can make an ordinary, plain outfit standout. With that in mind, for my Air Handbag, the intention, for the ornamental hummingbird scene, is for it to be fabricated out of a metal material in a relief style to give it a feeling of substantiality.

Because the elements for this handbag, the hummingbird and flowers, were drawn monochromatically, I was reminded of how much I enjoy drawing and painting with just a single color. Focusing on highlights and shadows creates shape and brings life to the work. Very satisfying.

Sea Handbag

Since I had enjoyed illustrating monochromatically for the Air inspired handbag I wanted to try drawing the motifs for the Sea inspired handbag using only one color in Adobe Fresco. My favorite drawing tool in Adobe Fresco is the pencil, so I used that. Fresco allows you to draw on a transparent background, so you’re able to maintain transparency for any areas of the composition that aren’t opaque. I noticed that drawing with a single color on a transparent background offered up a nostalgic feel, which is always a plus in my book.

Once I was finished drawing my motifs and ready to arrange them on the handbag, I realized that the transparency was a bit of a double-edged sword. I wasn’t able to layer the illustrations without the one below showing through. This is where I tapped into that obsession I mentioned earlier. I had to solve the problem, so I worked out a technique. I arranged the motifs as I wanted them to appear. Then, using the selection tool, I carefully cut out and erased the pieces of the illustrations that would be hiding behind the illustration on top of it, eventually creating a foreground, middle ground, and background.

Here’s an illustrated example of my process:

Step 1: Choose motifs.

Step 2: Layer the motifs into a composition that can have a foreground, middle ground, and background.

Step 3: Using the selection tool, work in sections, carefully selecting the areas of each motif that would be covered by a portion of the motif layered on top of it. Then delete the area using the erase tool.

Final Design:

Once I started creating motifs in this monochromatic, transparent style in Adobe Fresco, I couldn’t stop, which resulted in my Find Yourself Collection.  My hovering hummingbird from the Air Handbag can be found in this collection re-rendered in black along with 28 other elements ranging from a curious bunny to a wise praying mantis, a variety of botanicals, and a collection of strawberry illustrations. I also created four compositions (Be Free, Stand Tall, Be Humble but Proud, and Bring Joy) using the motifs from the collection.

There you have it. My journey from one thing to the next that lead me to an unexpected treasure. Oh, what fun!