SS23/24 Summer Print Designs
As you may know, I am an artistic director at Keshet Design where I create and oversee print designs for each seasonal fashion collection. I just wanted to share some of the current ones with you that I designed from scratch. I love creating colourful pieces for bold, unique women!
I’ve also been enjoying creating some process videos about this work behind the scenes. What sort of content would you like to see about this? Let me know in the comments!
Live Wedding Painting Tasmania Part 2
Imagine painting love stories, not at home, but right there in the middle of someone’s wedding. That's what I got up to recently, painting at not one, but two weddings in a weekend! And get this – the first one? It was a surprise for the bride, a gift from her sister.
I'm talking about LIVE wedding painting – turning special moments into art on the spot. Let me take you behind the scenes of these two love-filled events, where I worked as quickly as possible to create wedding day magic.
So, first up was Emily and Jason. They had their beautiful reception at Lark Distillery. They walked into their reception, thinking it's the scene they planned, and there I am with my paints and ink pens – surprise! Emotional vibes all around.
Lark Distillery, with its rustic charm, was the perfect spot. Warm tones, beautiful decorations – a dream setting. My job? Create quick sketches of guests. Different groups popped by my station for a snapshot, then back to the party they went.
Here's the tricky bit: it was a last-minute surprise, so I didn't know who's who among the VIPs. I tried to capture the heart of the celebration and did some last minute prioritising. There are a few leftover that I am continuing after the fact.
The next wedding of the weekend was Susannah and Kieran's love-filled day at Stefano Lubiana Winery. Picture this: an outdoor ceremony, an indoor reception with live music and tons of close knit family.
What set this wedding apart? Well, for starters, it wasn't about sketching guests this time. Instead, my task was to capture about 5 key moments of the day. I had to be quick on my feet, deciding which moments would make it. Susannah had a wishlist – their son, the cake, and the couple during the ceremony. Having a starting point helps, and knowing the family personally helps even more.
Here are some more snaps from the day. The trickiest part was not having daylight towards the end of the evening. I was adding finishing touches in the dark. Time to buy a portable light for my painting kit!
Looking back at this busy weekend, these gigs were more than just drawing. They shaped my style and how I approach each celebration. I have so much to learn and that’s what makes it so fun!
Tips for Future Couples:
For couples thinking about live illustration, here's a tip: If you have lots of guests, think about a different style – maybe capturing key moments instead of individual portraits. It's not just about the amount of art, but showing a unique perspective. If you do prefer guest portraits, be prepared to potentially have some of them finished afterwards.
Feel free to reach out to me if you want to find out more or check availability.
Until next time…
Follow the journey on Instagram:
Live Wedding Painting Tasmania!
It’s been a while, folks! I went off and had a baby in August and am just dipping my toes gradually back into work, comics, and events. What a whirlwind!
I jumped back in a couple of weeks ago for a live wedding event where I sketched and painted during a ceremony at the Port Cygnet Cannery in Tasmania. It’s such a unique venue and it was an honor to be asked to do this.
Setup and ready to go!
I prepped some papers and took some reference images of special mementos for the couple in advance to be sure to include these extra special images that are incredibly meaningful on their day. Then it was time to start!
The ceremony has finished, sketches are planned, and now it’s time to make everything look fabulous!
I used my favorite pen ever, the Pentel Brush Pen, which is permanent ink. In addition to this, I used my Yarka watercolor paints and lush Fabriano hot press paper. All archival materials ensure these little moments will last forever. Here is a snippet reel of everything in action on my Instagram:
If you or anyone you know is interested in hiring me as their wedding artist, I would love to come up with a special plan just for you! Get in touch via email - alyssa (@) alyssabermudezart.com
Fashion Illustration Night!
One of the silver linings of the pandemic has been accessing virtual events that I normally would miss out on because I am far away and in a tricky time zone for New York events. I used to attend the Society of Illustrators sketching events and am so happy that I’ve been able to join here and there via Zoom.
Today was Fashion Sketch night and luckily it was a Friday morning for me. Usually Friday mornings I am teaching painting, but it’s the term break so my schedule was more open. This one was hosted by Ted Michalowski featuring Cabaret Couture. The model, Janet, was unbelievable and wearing the most fun dresses to draw that I could ever imagine.
More about Fashion Sketch night and other Society of Illustrators events: https://societyillustrators.org/events/
Here are some of my two-minute sketches while working on my Cintiq monitor in Photoshop:
I then really wanted to figure out how to add the color quickly. Here are some 5-10 minute poses. She did this amazing makeup with white eyeliner and disappearing eyebrows, so that was a fun challenge!
Then she changed outfits to another UNBELIEVABLE dress. We had some more time with 15-minute poses and I think I finally figured out what colors were working better digitally. I wish I had more time with the second one. What a dress!!!
I also remembered to screen capture some of my drawing process which I sped up into a 5 minute video. Check it out to see how it all works!
That’s all! I hope to be able to attend more of these going forward.
The Freelance Transition
I was recently checking out Emma Kisstina/Kristina Hultkrantz’s Skillshare classes and freelance life pie charts and decided to share a bit of my journey with this as well. Going full-time freelance was not something that happened overnight. It’s been a gradual transition over a few years to change the slices of pie in order to suit and support the vision that I have.
Here is what two years of semi-full Freelance life has looked like for me:
Australia does their financial and tax year from July to June, so that is why these charts start and begin from those dates. It’s the only data I have. It’s a bit tricky to get a real sense for 2020 because I had two months of freelance gigs lined up in China and Japan which were cancelled. In-person teaching was cancelled for a few months as well as hospital visits with Inscape Tasmania. I was extremely lucky to have other options.
Here is a little bit more about each category:
Supportive Income/Keshet: I worked at Keshet Design in Hobart for several years. I started with about 4 days a week and gradually reduced my days and hours as I gained traction in other areas. At the end of 2019, I officially resigned. It’s important to have a supportive income while on the journey towards freelance so some of the financial pressure is reduced. I was lucky enough to have a supportive income as a creative art director so I used my skills in that area of my life too.
Teaching: Before moving to Hobart I was a full-time teacher in a school. My pie chart was about 90% teaching and 10% freelance and gigs during the Summer vacation. When I moved to Hobart with the intention of eventually going freelance, I serendipitously found an opening at The Nolan Gallery where a former teacher of theirs had just moved to New York City. I initially taught three sessions per week with some workshops and things here and there. I still teach there with reduced classes and love the students that I get to interact with regularly. It’s an important part of my pie because it is SOCIAL. Freelance life does not often incorporate dealing with people face to face.
Inscape Tasmania: I could categorize this as a freelance gig, but I feel like it deserves a category of its own, especially because I have regularly worked for this organisation for a few years. This work feeds my soul and is an important part of the pie chart. It’s also important to recognise that this is a paid job and not volunteer work. I only do this once or twice a month and it’s just the most wonderful job an illustrator could ever have.
Books/Advances/Royalties: This includes anything involving books from work for hire situations, advances for book contracts, and royalties for published books of the past. It’s certainly hard to predict this category each year, but it’s the one I’ve been focused on growing. I work with a wonderful agent, Claire at Painted Words, and without her, I would not have received such wonderful offers. This piece of the pie significantly grew when we sold my graphic novels in a three-book deal. Not only does it grow the chart, but it means that this pie piece will stay for a few years as I create the rest of them.
Things that are so insignificant that I wouldn’t include in a chart: Sales from my website, Redbubble, Society6 and Spoonflower where people can buy work of mine on various surfaces and objects.
Anyway, thanks to Emma Kisstina Illustration/Kristina Hultkrantz for inspiring me to do this. Anyone else out there pie charting their freelance life? I would love to see it.
Consistency in a series from an illustrator’s perspective.
As an illustrator, it is my job to create the images that help enrich books for children. When I first receive the text for a story, my initial process involves reading it over and over again. I sit, lay, walk and drive with the text in my mind for a period of time to start putting together a visual narrative. This visual narrative is inspired by the text of course, but it also goes beyond that. It is a non verbal language that adds another layer to the story that the text doesn’t explicitly say. This perfect combination of text and additional narrative is the great achievement than any children’s illustrator strives for.
After the initial stage, I start imagining the characters and the world they live in. For the Lucia The Luchadora series, their family heritage was front and centre for me as I began the process of their visual depiction. I set out to find cultural references and colours to inspire their world. For the Amelia Chamelia series, I tried to figure out how to make her stand out yet also be relatable to other eight year old Australian girls. Before any pencils hit paper, a lot of research and thought was involved. I feel as though I truly know the characters before I start to draw them.
To provide consistency to these characters across multiple pages and books is a unique challenge as well. While they need to look like the same person with the same proportions, their body language and emotional range needs to be as diverse as the readers themselves.
Amelia Chamelia faces a huge challenge of public speaking when her teacher assigns her the role of narrator in the school play. Her best friend Willow also faces a fear of heights during the school swimming test. Portraying these very real emotions in visual form can help engage early readers along the journey.
Creating consistency in style can be an interesting challenge too, especially when illustrating a series. Lucia the Luchadora set the style for the sequel, but I still tried to introduce new colours and characters into the culturally rich world they live in. Amelia Chamelia is simple black and white interior illustrations, so even though the artistic style doesn’t change throughout, the characters and expressions are diverse.
Each book is an exciting opportunity to explore style, consistency and nuance of character for visual storytelling. An illustrator’s work is never over! Stay tuned for more of my illustrated books coming soon including My Singing Nana!
Appearances & Events!
Upcoming Event in Hobart!
So much has happened this year and so many projects are coming! For now, the best way to hear about them all is on Instagram (@bermudezbahama) and Facebook (click here) OR if you are in Hobart, come to our SCBWI event. I will be talking about all of the projects, pathways and more.
Inscape Tasmania
The new resident artist at the Royal Hobart Hospital with Inscape Tasmania!
I have recently added a new title to my list of ongoing freelance gigs - Resident Artist at the Royal Hobart Hospital through the beautiful Inscape Tasmania program. I am a part of their meaningful Tribute project which links illustrators and visual artists with patients on the Acute Older Person's Ward.
Hard at work in the Arts & Music room on the ward.
Here's more about the program:
Inscape is a Hobart based non-profit organisation that supports artists to work in healthcare and other non-art settings, with the aim of promoting a sense of wellbeing for health care providers, patients and families.
The Tribute Project: Through meaningful conversation our artists capture the memories and life of patients; providing a tribute to patients and visual cues that encourage greater connection between hospital staff, patients and families. The artworks provide staff with a way to recognise the person and their lives as well as to attend to necessary medical procedures. The patient and/or their families keep the artwork as a memento; and, with their permission, a copy of their artwork is exhibited in a public space at the hospital.
I spent time with each of the following patients and spoke with them about some of their favourite memories. Here are some of the tribute paintings I have created for patients at the RHH:
A piece for Susan, who loves reading, chocolates and other special things that are hinted at in this piece for her. I mix and match traditional or digital painting depending on the piece. This one is digital.
This piece for Clifford was painted in acrylics and based on this man's love for his pets and a lifetime of giving to others even when he had nothing for himself.
This painting was a special combination of dear memories, each represented in panels from her favourite cathedral in England. I also painted this one in acrylic as it suited her story more than a digital work.
This tribute piece was for a younger patient at the RHH who has traveled the world and explored different cultures on his own and with family. This one is a digital piece.
I am looking forward to meeting more amazing humans and hopefully giving them a small piece of joy during their various hospital encounters. Joining this team and hearing these stories has been one of the highlights of my freelance life. One older woman just couldn't believe that I was doing this just for her. I hope she felt as special as I did creating it for her.
More coming soon!
Dreams Lived Dreams Shattered
Dreams Lived, Dreams Shattered: MLK, JFK 50 years later
Work of MFA Illustration Students and Faculty
Gallery FIT
November 9 - December 7, 2013
Students and faculty of the MFA in Illustration program at FIT visually reflect on the 50th anniversary of two seminal events in American History.
My piece for this exhbiit is titled "Bankruptcy"
"We refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt." In the last fifty years, Americans of different races, genders, and ages have continued to demand their freedoms. The funds are growing and more checks are clearing, yet the richness and security of equality seems interminable.
Bankruptcy