Chroma #5: WIP
Welcome back again! For this week’s edition of Chroma, I generated this palette:
When I saw the colors of this palette, I was somewhat reminded of chīwěn (蚩吻), one of the nine sons of the Dragon King in traditional Chinese mythology. I had wanted to get a tattoo of it a while ago, and although I never got around to it, I had searched many images and drawn out designs of it. Specifically, it reminded me of an image of a chīwěn on the roof of the Longyin Temple in Chukou, Taiwan (shown below), though looking back, the colors don’t actually match very much.
Either way, I decided to draw a personification of this dragon in the form of a goddess/woman. I also wanted to practice the solid black color shading I had used briefly after playing the game Hades. I didn’t end up finishing coloring the background, but I hopefully will be done with it next week!
A Day In Our Lives #4
Hey guys!
The weather here in Ann Arbor is insane. I have lived in Michigan my entire life and every year I forget how fast the weather can change. One day it’s scorching hot and the next it is snowing! This week I wanted to talk about the weather we are all currently enduring. If anyone is wondering what I draw these images on I use my iPad with procreate. (Unfortunately a paid program but if anyone wants a recommendation for some free programs I have some!) I went to a football game for the first time in college and of course, it snowed! I thought I could handle it with four layers, but I get cold so fast. I was freezing. What I wouldn’t give to move somewhere warm. I hope everyone is getting excited about the upcoming Thanksgiving break. I plan to post over Christmas and Thanksgiving breaks. See you next week!
– Marissa 
Evolving Emotions: Surprise
Life will always be filled to the brim with unexpected possibilities. Fighting the current won’t do you good, so go with the flow!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zYeJuztwfo3q2dQwU-gnyvkPDvDHgHkHOcOoOdsm1rM/edit?usp=sharing
Inside the Atelier: Episode 1
Episode 1: Finding Inspiration
Hey there!
Welcome to my series Inside the Atelier! This series will be a behind the scenes look at my garment design process. I’m currently at the beginning stages of a new project focused on costuming–specifically creating custom garments for drag performers on campus in hopes of spotlighting queer individuals. I’m so excited to take you along this journey throughout the next couple weeks!
Finding Inspiration
The first step when I start designing is always looking for inspiration. I find that inspiration can come from quite literally everything–it doesn’t have to relate to my final product at all. I often take pictures of my surroundings when I see something interesting to use at a later date–and I spend a lot of time on Pinterest. I then compile the shapes, colors, textures, and other elements that I see within my surroundings and sourced images to create a moodboard. This moodboard becomes the starting point for me to start designing.
Moodboard:
Fable Friday: Ishtar
Ishtar is the Mesopotamian goddess of war, love and fertility, also known as Inanna in Sumerian. Because of her association with war, she is often seen wearing armor with a horned helmet, wings, and sometimes with weapons on her back. Ishtar is often believed to be the precursor to the Greek deity Aphrodite. My take on Ishtar attempts to blend these elements with the horned crown and gold armor on her limbs. In some engravings, she is depicted completely naked or with some sort of long dress with multiple layers, so I made her dress semi-transparent with multiple layers of streaks.
