AWAKE ASLEEP
Illustration Process
From conception to completion, see a selection of images and films of the Awake Asleep creation process
Awake Asleep is based on my sculpture 'The Divine Feminine Flame'
I began creating in 2012. It appears completed at the end of the book.
In 2013 I woke up in the middle of the night and wrote all of the text for Awake Asleep.
I knew I needed to create a book & film to bring the empowering concepts to the world.
Looking at my master sketch of my sculpture and written text I designed the books page layouts.
Detail of the leaf making process. Shapes were wired, stitched around the edges and filled with silk shading embroidery. One tiny leaf took one day to produce.
All of the illustrations for Awake Asleep were hand embroidered.
I wanted the imagery to be absolutely magical, to sparkle, and shine like the spirit of every girl. I taught myself traditional raised embroidery techniques from the 1600's.
Detail of the suns rays, alternating lines of couched silver cord, silver beads & pearls.
BEFORE and AFTER: Here is the Goddess as she was first drawn & the finished illustration. She was designed to look very beautiful in honour of the physical and spiritual beauty of women. The Goddess wears a luxurious heavily embroidered silk gown. I created her dress from the finest silk and embroidered sacred symbols of wisdom with metallic thread.
BEADING PROCESS: A short film of myself hand beading the divine eye. Each ray of light was composed of tiny little pearls
EMROIDERY PROCESS: A short film of myself hand sewing silver spangles around the pink lion. They represent energy. The intricate artwork for Awake Asleep was created over 5 years and was a meditation on love.
To create the short film and illustrations for Awake Asleep the hand embroidered elements were created separately and photographed on different backgrounds and on the central panel. I moved the lighting around to achieve a sparkling effect with the imagery, in daylight and in full darkness. Photos were taken one by one for the stop motion film and for the images used in the book. This photo shows me busily working on filming the goddess. My son has come to have a look and is showing me his moon light.