This is the portfolio site of illustrator and web designer Henry aka Helmetgirl. Welcome and please have a look around.
All images and designs are © Helmetgirl 2012 unless noted otherwise
As it is friday, I thought some party-atmos would be in order.
Here in Andalucia where I am now, the feria season has kicked off- That means week long town celebrations with fairs and music and nice food. And then of course, this is the time for little girls, hot latinas and grandmothers too, to get that flamenco dress out and the big earrings on!
This Señora is inspired by a lovely lady I saw at the Feria in La Linea last year.
This week I went to Gibraltar so I decided to finish up this illustration based on a sketch I made on my first visit to Spain and Gibraltar.
The original sketch
And this is what it looks like in real life
Most of my work is character based, so I wanted to have a go at creating something more abstract and based on geometric shapes.
And as it is now – according to the calendar anyway- spring, I thought it appropriate to make something more colourful and happy go lucky than I normally do.
If you like it you can download it as a desktop wallpaper here:
This weeks Illustration Friday topic was; Adrift.
My submission this week is representing the polar bears, and the people living in the arctic that will be among the first to feel the effects of global warming.
The melting of their natural habitat is a very pressing environmental concern.
You can read more about polar bears and global warming here:
Just before christmas last year I had the pleasure of spending a weekend in Sevilla in Spain visiting a friend that had recently moved there.
Traveling is always a good way to get new inspiration or get out of a block, even shorter distances can do the trick. I think it is good to see things from a new perspective, and it can be the smallest things that will tricker your mind to come up with new ideas.
Sevilla is a very visited city, it is a city full of beautiful architecture, cosy small spanish streets in the old quarter of the city, and appears to be a place full of delicious foods too.
But one of the most inspiring things for me from this visit, was the Feria Posters that you see everywhere. The city each year in april celebrates the Feria de Abril- a city wide party- and each year they produce a poster for this. The posters you see everwhere, on postcards, and in the tourist shops.
Poster from 1966 by José Álvarez Gámez, and from 1964 by Antonio Abelardo Garciá Fdez
There is a certain timeless effort in these posters, often very graphic, simple shapes, complimented by strong colours, and very little- but well arranged- text. The tradition is to show the iconic Sevilla- the Sevilanas in their dresses, the guitar, the men on horseback in traditional outfits.
Poster from 1966 by José Álvarez Gámez, and from 1957 by Ramón Blanco Casal
I wanted to do my version of a feria-styled poster, and decided to use my friend as a model for it. Although she is not a Sevillana, she was playing with the idea of acquiring one of these flamenco-styled dresses that the ladies dress up in for the Feria- and I think she would look just great!
My version of a Feria Poster
I haven’t been able to find a lot of information about the painters and traditions of the feria posters, if anyone knows I would be interested in hearing more about it all- links welcome.
