Illustration Friday: Stretch | 'She Wore Feathers in her Hair'

 © 2012 Radha Ramachandran

"She was not quite what you would call refined. She was not quite what you would call unrefined.

She was the kind of person that keeps a parrot." 

~ Mark Twain

"Be grateful for luck. Pay the thunder no mind. Listen to the birds.

And don't hate nobody."
~ Eubie Blake 

“She decided to free herself, dance into the wind, create a new language.

And birds fluttered around her, writing “yes” in the sky.”
~ Monique Duval 

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you 'She Wore Feathers in her Hair' ― illustrated for me, by me. 

If you're here via Illustration Friday and are wondering how on earth it works for this weeks topic, well, it doesn't...quite.

It doesn't work for the topic 'Stretch' by any stretch of the imagination.

Okay, so I'm really stretching here, but considering that the last time I illustrated for me was in January and that the last blog-update was way back in February (I've been away from this here blog for a stretch of about 9 months), this is a definite 'YAY' moment, People. 

(Also, I just may be my own favourite client. So this was fun.)

 

Here she is (yes, it's a 'she') all mocked-up in an antique frame (Just because. Also, it makes me happy):

(Thank you Antoniu for the frame!)

I originally wanted some kind of type in the illustration, but changed my mind towards the end.

Below is some hand-lettered type that was born in the process.

© 2012 Radha Ramachandran

I have the companion piece to this one in my head, but he (yes, it's a 'he') may take awhile to happen,

considering there's a living to be made. 

Here's hoping the next blog-update happens well before December 2013!

Cheers.