Move Forward with Dance!

Illustrationfriday. com's word of the week is Forward according to Becky Caldwell. In order to move forward in dance, specifically with ballet it is proper for a ballerina to buy "pointe shoes".  I am inspired to research dance magazines and articles after viewing Leif Peng's 50's inspired articles of food advertisements.

This advertisement was published in 1960 in the Evening Post by an unknown author. Not really with the dance theme, but inspires me to make a advertisement article and to research dance magazines and articles.

For over 80 years, Dance Magazine has elevated the art form on a global scale. You can also follow them on facebook.  It was first published in 1927 as  "The American Dancer". Currently Wendy Perron is the editor-in-chief as of 2004.

Pointe magazine is an international magazine for ballerinas and dancers. It is published by Macfadden Performing Arts and covers international news on competition news and rising stars. This magazine's goal is to empower dancers to achieve their goals thru developing their artistry, technique and self-confidence.

I am also inspired by Chanel fashion and I found this advertisement displaying a lovely pair of shoes that have become a popular trend, which were inspired by ballet shoes.

Please watch for upcoming thumbnails and colour schemes for my next piece of artwork.
Thank you.

Here is my magazine layout design:

Was missing something, so I added a pretty decorative border.

Twirl like no one is watching you

The word of the week is twirl according to Tia Mushka on Illustrationfriday.com which was created by Illustrator Penelope Dullaghan with the help of Brianna Privett who is the genius with the technical side.

(Illustration Friday assumes no responsibility for the imagery it is linked too). 


Before I show you my art incorporation of the word twirl and the theme dance I am going to show you a another famous Graphic Designer who once also illustrated for Cosmopolitan, which was once a family magazine. 

This was done by Bradshaw Grandell in November 1941 before it changed to a female magazine 
in 1960. I am inspired by her beautiful hair. 


Here is my thumbnail of what I would like to draw and think is also beautiful.

This painting is being done by hand with acrylic paints. I drew out my sketch first, then painted over with pinks and purples, using black and yellows as accent colours. This lovely girl dancer is symbolism of a young girl in tune with the world around her dancing and twisting with the flow of music.

I did not have a chance to enter into the contest, but here is the winner of the week for Illustrationfriday.com:

I, Keira would like to comment on this piece. Personally, ] think I did a better job at incorporating twirl into my artwork than this piece, but still a lovely piece done by Sayantan Halder. It is very pretty and a nice colour scheme, it is original in thought, but not a strong compelling piece identified with the word "twirl".


Anyways.... back to Cosmopolitan... 


Here is Cosmo, taking pictures of my brain because this is the exact colour scheme I was thinking about and then I needed to research typography, and I discovered this in Jan2012. 

Cosmo initially wrote about, decorating, family, cooking and a small dedication to women's fashion. Later on.... 50 years later in 1960 we see Cosmo transform to a female magazine also incorporating with society's mixed feminism stream, which is not perfect, nothing is, get over it. 

FYI Britney Spears is just a prop and cannot even come up with her own lyrics or choreography. Her womanizer video is just a bunch of flashy things in the background with her standing and posing and moving her arms around a bit. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWHKMwZQ89I

Here is a sexy girl with a tattoo, dancing with the wind.

Now if you could please take the time to watch a real choreographer and national European #1 winner Nika Kljun. She took Briney Spears song and made up her own dance routine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XNV3XBK2yGI&feature=related

Come prepared, or go home!

The word of the week according to Illustrationfriday.com is prepare. In order to be successful in dance it's important to know the proper gear to come to dance lessons to be prepared, or the act of preparing yourself in rehearsal in order to have a successful outcome either on stage at a recital or dance video. I think a lot of people in today's society have come to appreciate more and more the dance profession and the beauty it brings to watch either on "So you Think You Can Dance" or "Dancing with the Stars." Graphic Designers have also been bringing beauty to the eye for years such as Fred Greenhill, a freelance illustrator who also served in WWII. He studied art and French at the University of Texas. He is a good example of how following your heart with art can bring a positive attitude in the art profession.

Here is one of my favourite pieces illustrated by Fred Greenhill in 1957. You can also find this picture on Leif Peng's flicker set. Every girl should be prepared with shoes.

Here is a piece I am working on that interprets dance and prepare.

This piece is being done in CS5 adobe photoshop using only the paint brush, just as a real artist would.

Let Your Feet Hit the Ground; Dance

The word of the week according to Illustration Friday.com, an art forum to discuss creative issues; is grounded. I would like to incorporate the theme dance into the word grounded. I am inspired by the famous artist during the Impressionist period, Edgar  Degas. During his art career he has created profound pieces illustrating ballerinas.

Here is a famous piece by Edgar Degas called L'etoile (La danseuse sur la scene) (The Star (Dancer on Stage)); 1878, Pastel on Paper; Musee d'Orsay, Paris

Here is a piece done by me, Keira Stirling, a ballerina outside. For this drawing I used pastels.

International Women's Day

 International Women's Day is celebrated across the world to honour women's advancement and to ensure their equality. It also highlights some of the most talented women who have inspired us over time. A woman who is very inspirational to me on this continent is a ballerina who was the first American ballerina to dance with the Paris Opera Ballet at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, Russia. She was also recognized at the New York City Ballet as one of the greatest dancers in the world. This ballerina was the first American to receive the title, prima (lead) ballerina until her retirement. She went on to found the Chicago City Ballet in 1981 and served as the artistic director. This ballerina is the female Native American, Maria Tallchief, born in Fairfax, Oklahoma; which is a Osage Indian Reservation. Maria was born in 1925 and was presented the National Medal of the Arts award by the National Endowment for the Arts in 1999.

Here is a picture of the famous Maria Tallchief. This photo is also found on the ballerinagallery.com. The photo was taken in New York at the New York City Ballet, Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo.

I am also inspired by the Graphic Designer Al Parker who I will use as inspiration to create a poster for Maria Tallchief in recognition for International Women's Day.

Here is one of Al Parker's famous magazine layouts:

This piece is inspirational to me because it is original thought and uses a dynamic colour scheme. The simplicity of this piece is overlooked by thee effectiveness and creative originality. 

After further reading about Maria Tallchief and looking through Al Parker's pieces I have come up with a few thumbnail sketches in which I would like to elaborate into a final piece. All thumbnails incorporate a beautiful ballet pose. I also added a symbolic image to signify her Native American background.

Thank you.


My choice of possible colour schemes.

My linear composition.

This linear drawing views Maria Tallchief, the prima lead ballerina, in a creative ballet pose. The feathers in the top right corner signify her Native American background. The flowers below her implicate she has blossomed into a beautiful ballet dancer. The angel wings signify her beauty and grace, she was a good person. The decorative background and circles bring the picture together and let your eye dance around the page.

Here I have taken my sketch and transformed it to my board. I have also coated it so it is ready for paint. I choose pink paint and then coated it again with clearcote hi-shine glaze, by Folkart.

Starting to add more paint.

After weeks of painting, I finally have completed my portrait for International Women's Day, featuring Maria Tallchief, the first American 'Prima Lead Ballerina', and also Native American from the Osage Tribe and Irish women. Maria was also the first American to dance with Paris. Her list goes on of achievements. My finished portrait, is original in thought and to me looks like an original interpretation of a old theatrical dance poster. I like to be unique and bring originality to my art. I also auditioned for co host to a International Women's Day event. Fingers crossed I get it. Have a great day, and enjoy.

Thank you!

I also decided to photograph my poster with a Canon camera. I took the picture in raw and brought the picture into photoshop and changed the white balance because I did not like the lighting from the room in the studio. With my photoshop, I adjusted the font and played around with the paint and text tools and layers tools.

Here are my results: