Design #90

The end of another month! Today's design is a re-use of a previous one this month, More than a Woman poster. I thought the title of this song summarized the women highlighted this month. I changed the color and listed all the names of the women this month. Enjoy!

Design #89

Today's famous woman is Mafalda. She is a political comic strip character created by “Argentine cartoonist Joaquín Salvador Lavado (pen name Quino).” Concerned with politics, economics, social justice, environmental issues, and many others, Mafalda's comments were poignant and astute while full of incredible humor. I spent hours reading the books while laughing and not being able to stop. My best friend Angie, can attest to that. I still re-read the books I have and break out in laughter. I love, love Mafalda so much that a dear friend in college nicknamed me Mafalda. The quote, translated in English translates as follows: if you cry because you lost the sun, the tears will not let you see the stars. Enjoy!

Si lloras por haber perdido el Sol, las lágrimas te impedirán ver las estrellas.

Design #88

Today's famous woman is Mary, Jesus' mother. And how could I not include her? She is perhaps the most talked about woman, aside perhaps from Eve. Widely known and acknowledged as a virtuous woman, she sang a song of praise when she was pregnant with Jesus. For the full text, please go to Luke 1:46-55. Who knows, perhaps it will inspire you :-). Enjoy!

Design #87

Today's famous woman is Helena Rubinstein. Like Estee Lauder, Elizabeth Arden, and Mary Kay, she started her own make up business from one single face cream. Her story is a bit different than the rest. She was, based on what I read, temperamental and dare I say moody? She liked the arts and collected art. She was fiercely determined. She was quoted saying the following:

“I have always felt that a woman has the right to treat the subject of her age with ambiguity until, perhaps, she passes into the realm of over ninety. Then it is better she be candid with herself and with the world.”

There were other quotes I liked, such as the one where she says that there are no ugly women, only lazy ones. My Dad would have agreed with that. But the one I am using today about a woman's age reminded me of a famous poem by Jenny Joseph, that says all the things a woman who gets old should be able to do starting by wearing purple and a red hat that does not match. I thought these two thoughts went together well. And maybe I will start wearing purple more often just so people are not shocked when I start looking old. :-) For the texture I used a nice tutorial that can be found at Vector Tuts. Enjoy!

Design #86

Today's famous woman is Mary Kay Ash. Yes, the same one with the pink Caddies. Lots of people make fun of this company. But as someone who at one point was herself a Mary Kay lady, I can tell you this is company is if not the best, one the best companies to work for. She started out as a sales representative for other known direct sales companies. Though her sales exceeded that of her male coworkers, a male was promoted instead of her. She quit and started her own company at the age of 45 with an investment of $5,000. I read this and I was in awe. I did not know her age when she started her own company. She was known for being very positive and wanting to create a good working environment for women. One of her quotes is the one I am displaying in this poster:

“Aerodynamically, the bumble bee shouldn't be able to fly, but the bumble bee doesn't know it so it goes on flying anyway.”

To me that demonstrates to not take a closed door at face value. Push. It might open for you. I am reminded of a widow in one of the Gospel passages. She insisted and insisted on her petition to the judge that he got up to get her out his hair and gave her what she she asked, Luke 18:1-5.

Design #85

Today's famous woman is Elizabeth Arden. If Estee Lauder's biography was impressive, this one surpasses it. Nee Florence Nightingale Graham (yes, like the famous nurse), she was determined from childhood to “be the richest little woman in the world…” She just did not know exactly how to do it. But she was determined, curious, innovative, and never stopped asking questions. She pushed her way to the top and did not let obstacles get in her way. I am in awe. My favorite makeup and fragrances are from her competitor but today Elizabeth Arden became my hero. I tried to make the poster look like those from 1920s and 1930s but still maintain a contemporary flair. And though many ads in that time were done in flat color, as I was researching, I found some ads, including one of  hers, done in black and white. The ad for my inspiration can be found here.

Design #84

Today's famous woman is Estee Lauder. We all know her for her cosmetics and perfumes. I am a loyal fan of her perfumes, Spellbound being my most favorite. My mother got me Youth Dew when I was a teenager and since then I have been a loyal customer of her perfumes. So much so, that my son is named after one her male perfumes. Her story is fascinating. The more I learn about these women, the more I realize how much time I waste. The poster is intentionally done in soft colors because of what it says, the dreaming and thinking about something and breaking out of that to make it happen. I wanted to express that though she was feminine, she was determined and nothing took away her elegance and being feminine. Enjoy!

Designs #81-82-83

Today's design attempts to satisfy these three days (Monday, Tuesday, and today's). I made a poster than can be split 3 ways for each piece to work on its own. At least that was my intention, you can feel free to give me feedback about that. When I was thinking about the fact that I missed two days and had to post one today, I thought why not do a 3-way poster? That way it can be “split” and it would work each way. Then I was thinking about which 3 women are famous or do I admire enough to pay homage this way? So, my three favorite female designers came to mind. Rosemarie Tissi, April Greiman (for this photo go here) and Jennifer Sterling. These designers' work were part of the inspiration for my thesis work, investigation, and project. Their work was fresh and attempted to challenge accepted conventions of their time. I had the privilege to hear April Greiman speak at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL. It was significant to hear how she created new avenues of expression though criticized by her peers at the time. So, I hope you enjoy the 3-way poster! Please refrain from copying these images. Though they can be found in the provided links, their use here is strictly experimental and attempts to make no profit from them.

Design #80

Wao! 80 days today!
Today's famous woman is a personal one. And every so often I will do some personal things because there is so many great stories in my family. Anyway, today's design is my Great Aunt Maria Jesús or Titi Chú. She was  a professional dancer, a type of “rumbera.” Back in the 50's, she had her own group called “Los Diablos del Caribe” or “The Caribbean Devils.” She was a very beautiful woman. I  have this old photo of her and I had been wanting to make an illustration out of it. Quite the long task since I did it by hand with pencil over tracing paper and a light box and then I scanned it and traced it manually in the computer. I was going to make a poster out of this, but it took me so long that today I am only posting her illustration. I will do the poster later on. Enjoy!

Design #79

Today's famous woman is Eve. And how could I not include her? However, it was a challenging decision. We all have images of Eve in our heads as a seductress and a temptress, and of the serpent. Thus, I struggled with what to do for a bit. I wanted to include an apple— though the story does not identify an apple as the forbidden fruit, we all imagine an apple. I opted to go with a font that looked kind of ivy for Eve.

Design #78

Today's famous woman is modern dancer Martha Graham. She is considered by many to be one of the pioneers in Modern Dance. People wanted to be entertained but she challenged that by creating and performing dances that provoked thought. For more about Martha Graham, please visit Dance Help. The image, however, is not Martha's due to copyright. Like yesterday's image, I tried to find an image that communicated her quote. This dancer's muscle definition and strength comes from endless practice and performing. Like Martha herself says, after practicing and practicing, “one becomes an athlete of God.” To download this wallpaper, please visit Alma Hoffmann's weblog.

Design #77

Today's famous woman is Cuban ballerina Alicia Alonso. The Guardian characterizes her as

“If Fidel Castro is the lifelong patriarch of the Cuban nation, Alicia Alonso is the lifelong matriarch of its national ballet. Like Cuba itself, the Ballet Nacional de Cuba, which Alonso founded and still rules, is utterly distinctive: it fields world-class dancers while remaining culturally isolated from the wider ballet world.”

She is well known for her Giselle performance, her hands, her legs, and her head scarf. She was quoted by Judith Mackrell in the Guardian, 2005 saying the following:

“I may die blind, but I will die dancing.”

This is the text used for the image below. The dancer, unfortunately is not Alicia Alonso due to copy rights. However, when I saw this dancer leaning over it seemed as if she was looking for her reflection and could not find it. I thought what a great way to illustrate this quote! Enjoy!

Design #76

The famous woman for today's design is Florence Nightingale. You can read her complete biography here biography.com. She was a very determined woman with a mission to help the wounded and the sick. She was fierce in her sense of professionalism and was known for being the first nurse. Among her famous quotes I found this one:

It may seem a strange principle to enunciate as the very first requirement in a Hospital that it should do the sick no harm. [1859]

I found this quote to be very appropriate for the political climate of our time. Discussing whether or not there should be universal health insurance, it is good to be reminded that “the first requirement in a Hospital… it should do the sick no harm.”

Design #75

Today I am doing a controversial woman, Marie Antoinette. One of her famous quotes says

I was a queen, and you took away my crown; a wife, and you killed my husband; a mother, and you deprived me of my children. My blood alone remains: take it, but do not make me suffer long. 

You can find more information or more quotes here at brainyquote.com.

Design #74

Joan of Arc. Died burning at the age of 19. You can learn more about her here at Distinguished Women.

Design #73

My daily design for yesterday Sunday March 14th is based on the mother-daughter relationship of Herodias and Salome. Salome danced for Herod, her stepfather's birthday. In his delight for her dance, he spoke hastily offering her anything she desired. She asked her mother, Herodias, who instructed her to ask for the head of John the Baptist. John was the man who denounced the relationship between Herodias and Herod since she was married to his brother. Herodias in her fury, took the opportunity to have John killed.

Design #72

Today I am showcasing Rosa Parks. A simple woman who said no to giving up her seat on the bus because of the color of her skin. That simple no initiated a 382 days of boycott to public transportation by the African American community. After 382 days, the Montgomery, Alabama ordinance that allowed racial segregation in public transportation was struck down by the Supreme Court. For more information and details please visit Academy of Achievement.

Design #71

Today I am doing one of my favorites female villains, Miranda Priestly from The Devil Wears Prada. I love that movie! I thought I would create a poster focusing on her.

Design #70

Today my famous female is Lulu. I grew up watching Lulu. I loved Lulu because she was mischievous and though always in trouble, she was still adorable. Yes I know she is not a woman. She is a little girl, but hey, she is part of my life too. I drew her from scratch. I have a DVD with her cartoons and used for reference. The lyrics to the theme song can be found here http://niqaholic.multiply.com/video/item/26

Design #69

Marie Curie, discovered the mysterious element radium. It opened the door to deep changes in the way scientists think about matter and energy. She also led the way to a new era for medical knowledge and the treatment of diseases. American Institute of Physics.

Among her famous quotes there is this one that talks about determination. This coming from someone who fought all the odds to be the first scientist woman that won a Nobel Prize in Physics and Chemistry making her also the only person to have won both awards.