Idea Seeds: Lily of the Valley

Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. -Luke 12:27

Photo sourced from Wikipedia

The Lily of the Valley (Convallaria majalis) is the flower of the month of May and this installments Idea Seed. It sports thick, striated leaves and soft, bell-shaped flowers distributed on a swooping stem. A woodland plant in the cooler climates and mountains, the highly poisonous lily flowers in late spring. The flowers, white with a tinge of green, have a sweet smell.

The Christian tradition at times refers to the lily of the valley as Our Lady's tears or Mary's tears. This stems from the legend that the flower sprang from the Virgin's tears at the Crucifixion. It is a popular flower for weddings and has a symbolic meaning of sweetness, humility, and return to happiness.

Are you inspired by the forms and colors of a certain flower? The silky bells of the lily of the valley carry a delicate femininity. They conjure the image of a fresh bouquet of wildflowers on an antique kitchen table, the promise of spring, and the song of birds.

Flora and fauna have long been a source of inspirations for artists, musicians, and poets. The lily of the valley has an amazing combination of textures and colors. I encourage you to take heed of the flowers you encounter, stop and smell the roses as it were. What you find may bring you the next great masterwork.

Lily of the Valley

Original vector illustration © Rachael Sinclair

Available for purchase HERE

Something for the Fans

I'm a little bit of a nerd. Geek. Fangirl? I have lots of things that bring me joy and movies and television factor into that quite a bit. Hey, they're creative too! Recently, I've been trying to perfect a new digital drawing technique. It's been lots of fun and gave me a couple of great piece ripe for fan convention season. These pieces sprang from the desire to have something of my own for a few stars to sign at the upcoming FandomFest.

First up, we have the Man They Call Jayne. I wanted to portray Firefly and Serenity's Jayne Cobb in startled readiness, but I wasn't finding the right image. What's a fangirl to do? Well, I made it up. With a lot of imagination and posing in the mirror, I finally had my Jayne, complete with damaged calm.
 

The Man They Call Jayne
Original illustration © Rachael Sinclair

Next came the Enigmatic Dr. Scully. The X-Files has been a love of mine since the first episode in 1993. Scully's loyalty to her partner was admirable, even when she was jet lagged and covered in unknown substances.

The Enigmatic Dr. Scully
Original illustration © Rachael Sinclair

Each of these pieces are available for purchase on my Society6 store. The print quality is quite good and I've left great spaces for celebrity signatures. If you're off to a convention soon, I hope it's amazing. Just remember, everything you love, the things that influence you, they were once someone's simple idea. Go out and create. You never know where it will go!