Mama Mia, here we go again! Mama Mia, it’s May!
Happy May all of you and happy early Mother’s day to the mama’s out there. May you be surrounded with love and feel cherished all year round.
Lowkey, I’m excited about motherhood. No babies at the moment, but I’ve always envisioned the type of mother I would like to be. If I could encompass how I would want my motherhood style to feel with one word, it would be – safe. I want my kids to feel safe emotionally, financially, spiritually, and physically. I just want them to feel safe to be themselves with me.
Like Black lives, Black mothers matter…yesterday, today, tomorrow, forever –
This illustration felt like a victory lap; it was deceivingly easy. The easiness gave me great unrest. I felt like I wasn’t challenging myself enough. This is my fifth illustration for the year, and I’m still finding my rhythm and distinct artist style.
The depth comes in the details. The silhouettes are easier to execute. There aren’t as many harsh lines or corners. If you zoom in really close, you can see the depth in the little boy’s hair. I added “gray” toned swirls to give his hair more texture. Also – this is my first time adding boys to my illustrations. I mainly focus on Black women, but today I added a little cutie! In the past, the mouths/lips have been a struggle for me. Whenever I drew the mouth, it always looked distorted and disproportional. I couldn’t get the mouth right without making the animation wonky. So to minimize the flaw, I would shrink the mouth size by like 60 percent (See last’s month illustration for an example). Black women have full lips, and I want to be able to capture their beauty effectively. I think I got it right with this month’s illustration.
Finally, coloring was trickier than expected. Initially, I had the mother and the baby the same skin tone, but the animation looked flat. There’s a richness to Black skin that I haven’t perfected. Black babies can be lighter than their parents as their melanin develops. So instead of making things complicated, I copied the skin tones from the inspiration photo. Alas – the noses. You all know how I feel about noses. They are sooooooo hard. At least I tried. “A” for effort?
The illustrious Kelly Rowland inspired this month’s illustration. Kelly is a world-renowned entertainer and mother. In the past, she wrote a book entitled, Whoa, Baby!, about motherhood and her journey. The illustration also includes a photo of her son, Titan. Ironically, the inspiration photo was taken from her photoshoot with Parent Magazine.
Black mothers hold a special place in my heart. I will always be an advocate for my sistas! According to the National Center for Health Statistics, Black mothers experience complications/death at higher rates than our counterparts. This has to change.
My prayer is that God will send angels to protect all the pregnant Black mamas, equip lawmakers with integrity, and grant medical professionals listening ears and discerning hearts. Like Black lives, Black mothers matter…yesterday, today, tomorrow, forever –
