Dear friends,
It's been a while since I last reached out, and as I sit down to write this letter, I'm struck by how the trees have become completely overgrown, everything has turned lush green, ducklings have made their appearance, and nature has undergone a complete transformation.
I've been MIA for the past six weeks thanks to this crazy intense project I've been working on.
While I'd love to share some drawings with you, I'm afraid I must keep the details under wraps for a few more months. The illustrations were a collaborative effort between two of us, and it was both enjoyable and exciting to create them.
One of our biggest challenges was working with vectors, but thank goodness Adobe Fresco proved invaluable with its array of vector brushes and erasers, seamlessly integrating with Adobe Illustrator. To give you an idea of the workload, we produced a total of 280 illustrations.
I had actually begun planning this month's theme earlier, intending to focus on gardens. With everything in full bloom lately and my personal fondness for floral motifs, I thought it fitting to explore this subject. The concept of gardens is deeply rooted in almost every religion and culture, reflecting humanity's ongoing endeavor to shape nature. I've compiled some general ideas and my own drawings for this theme, but I also wanted to bring some traveling botanical garden drawings, so I'd definitely like to dedicate a next section to gardens.
Here's a snippet from Gabriele Tergit's Flowers Through the Ages that I found interesting:
Did you know the Hungarian word for paradise (paradicsom) comes from the Persian word for garden?
Voltaire, the father of the famous Candide quote - Il faut cultiver notre jardin - sums up his life thus: ‘I have read much and found only uncertainty, lies and fanaticism. I am almost as clever - as far as I am concerned - as I was as a baby. Now I prefer to plant, to sow seeds, to be free.’
Throughout different ages and cultures, there have been various interpretations of gardens. One intriguing version emerged in the 18th century when the rejection of joyfulness led to the creation of melancholic gardens in England. These gardens featured withered trees and even caves. Across Europe, it became fashionable to adorn gardens with urns and altars of sacrifice. Some even included a "Valley of the Dead," complete with coffins, skeletons, and warning inscriptions to remind visitors of their vanity. In the garden of Goethe's friend Luise von Ziegler, she had a tomb pit constructed where she occasionally laid down to contemplate death.
In my own drawings, I usually start with plant motifs as my foundation. From there, the other characters and pictorial elements tend to naturally evolve. Here I have some sketchbook drawings that were meant to serve as pattern, but they're still in their raw form, so they're not quite ready yet.
As I mentioned before I typically begin by doodling plant motifs since they don't require much thought, allowing me to play around with new shapes. These plant doodles served as the basis for experimenting with colors and incorporating some animal elements. As patterns, they're still awaiting further refinement.
That wraps up this letter! Stay tuned for the second part, coming your way soon. In the meantime, I'd love to hear about any gardens you enjoy visiting. I'm always up for exploring new places, and who knows, maybe I'll feature them in my next letter. Wishing you plenty of lovely days spent in the gardens until then!
Sending Love
Ágnes
Some words about me
Hi, I’m Ágnes, a passionate illustrator and animated filmmaker from Hungary.
I'm obsessed with colorful drawings, funny characters, and nature-inspired illustrations. My work fields include editorial illustration, children’s book illustration, brand illustration, animated film, and gifs. Besides commissions, I teach animation and illustration at an art school in Budapest.