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

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

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.

Jacket with style

Bomber Jacket pen and ink illustration by Sandra Santa Lucia

The stylish Leather Bomber jacket above is an all-time classic for all women. Worn with jeans, skirts or dresses this stylish jacket will take you anywhere you wish to go.
Using pen and ink with a wash helped accentuate the softness and details of the leather. The border was created with torn paper from various of magazine headers.

50's & 60's sweaters

A shortie, skims the upper part of a full skirt illustrated by Sandra Santa Lucia

Women's weaters in the late 50's early 60's were  pretty basic.  If fact cardigans, often part of a sweater set, and v-necks seem to be making a comeback. Another popular sweater was the shortie, often worn over a full skirt showing the waistband. The line drawn fashion illustrations of the sweaters below were drawn with pen and ink and pencil.

These cardigans and v-neck appeared in the Calgary Herald newspaper in the early 60's. Pencil illustration by Sandra Santa Lucia

fashion from the sixties

This week is New York Fashion Week…love fashion illustrating.
Women of the early sixties enjoyed the comfort which many casual shoes offered. 

Pen and ink wash of flat shoes of the sixties illustrated by Sandra Santa Lucia 

Pen and ink wash lingerie drawn by Sandra Santa Lucia

Pen and ink wash of a full slip drawn by Sandra Santa Lucia

Years ago, in the early sixties,  while a rookie layout artist in the graphic department, at The Hudson Bay Company in Calgary, Alberta one of the finishing artists would hand over a few art assignments to me.   The post above highlight a few lingerie illustrations which once appeared in a Hudson Bay Company advertisement in the The Calgary Herald newspaper.

reverse

This week's Illustration Friday topic is reverse. 

"Boredom is just the reverse side of fascination: both depend on being outside rather than inside a situation, and one leads to the other." 

– Arthur Schopenhauer

  

All of a sudden Doreen let out a scream, "There's a bear on the path!"

pen and ink book illustration by Sandra Santa Lucia

Who wants to be inside…a bear that is!  

The subject chosen for this weeks Illustration Friday , depicts one of the illustrations which I drew for Wagging Tails a  book about a Banff family and their four-legged friends. In this particular illustration depicting three friends who had been enjoying their hike to Johnson Lake when one of them spotted a bear!  They're leisurely hike soon became a very fast reverse speed hike away from the lake!