Sunday 23 January 2011

Luna The Long Forgotten Witch

So it's Sunday here. Time to grab the broom and duster for a little house clean up. I heard the boxes under the stairways whispering my name, so I had no choice but to roll up my sleeves and dive in. As I opened up the first box, I stumbled across a book. It was a book I made for a studio assignment during my second or third year in college a million years ago, and I couldn't help but smile as I read the title, Luna Si Penyihir Kecil, which in English means Luna the Little Witch. Written and illustrated by yours truly!

It's about a young witch who wanted to give her mother a surprise birthday cake. But because she was still learning her magical skills, her noble intention turned into somewhat of a catastrophe.


Here are some pages from the book... Note how it was actually bound using ring binders. Of all things!!




Discovering this precious souvenir of my past, I realized that this was actually the last time I had drawn or painted a witch as an actual artwork. Would you believe it? I don't know why I haven't done so in years, but when I think of it, I suppose it's something I should look more into.

Anyway, with this thought in mind, you would think that it's best for me to just carry on with the cleaning? I thought that too, but noooooooooooo.... I had to rush to my drawing table and paint a witch! Naturally.

Luna The Long Forgotten Witch, acrylics on paper
What do you think? I'd like to think that she is Luna, my long forgotten little witch. Of course, these days she's more than capable to zap up a birthday cake all by herself! Probably good enough to cater her own annual witch bash too! :)

And what about my cleaning? You might wonder. Well, there's always another Sunday...

Happy Sunday, Amalia, oxox

PS: Luna is available as 6"x8" Open Edition Print at my shop. I hope you like her! And just a little information for you, all my Limited Edition Prints are ON SALE until the end of January...another week to go! :)

25 comments:

  1. OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHH!!! I may yet learn to speak Indonesian! Where can I buy a copy of this book? Yes! Ring binders! They probably cost more than regular binding. I love it. Really Amalia, I am interested in purchasing a copy of this book. The word "si" in my language mean more than one thing depending on its placement. It may is
    is, that or nothing at all but a word crutch.

    The illustrations are adorable and I can just feel that I will love Luna. Her character shows in the illustration - one lovable witch!

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  2. Okay, I got so excited and typed so fast. I sound like an idiot with all the typo errors. But I don't care. I love the illustrations.

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  3. ~oh i am with ces...my first thought that came to mind...love love love and oh so want you to make a copy of this!!! i think you stumbled upon a piece of gold that lay hidden for far to long!!! and luna as she has grown up a bit is just bewitchly wonderful my dear friend...i hope we will see more glimpses of her in the future...cleaning...yes...there will always be another day!!! much love light and blessings upon you always~

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  4. Art always trumps housework....ALWAYS! ;-D
    Love the original book you did, and the new Luna is quite charming. She still has a bit of mischief about her, as all witches should!
    Darling Amalia!!!

    XXOO~~♥
    Anne

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  5. Wow!! I'm with Ces!! Omg....it's terrific!! Beautiful illustrations!! xoxo

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  6. It's all so wonderful! Coming to your blog is like a special treat. I always feel like I've discovered something special here that can't be found anywhere else. One of these days I'm going to order a print!

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  7. This book looks great. I love how the little witch sits in the tree.
    These are great drawings. And your newest witch is very pretty too. She looks so serene and I adore her white weasel

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  8. thank you for sharing your book with us, it is wonderful!! I love the tree growing out of the cake! You are brilliant.
    And Luna grown up is a marvel, her eyes and hair, every bit of her is charming indeed.

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  9. Amalia, this is amazing! What an enchanting little book, it must be wonderful to find something like this after such a long time! I love it when I find something I nearly forgot about, and then it brings such a smile to my face :) I can see how far your style has progressed since then too! You must be a really hard worker, and these are all so beautiful!

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  10. How adorable your storybook is! Judging from the comments, you should definitely be looking into publishing it for sale. And it WILL sell! I love that it provided you with inspiration to create an updated Luna - who is very beautiful. Thank you for sharing!!! Theresa

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  11. I love this post! YOu are just like me - easily distracted. What a wonderful book you made - how could you have forgotten about her? Send her off to a publisher!! I love your artwork, it always speaks to me (if that makes sense!!)

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  12. This is MY witch - all in green!:)))You are the one to know whether she's Luna or not, but this girl knows a lot of magics, for sure - she's looking so self-confident!
    We don't have fairies and witches in our culture and folklore... But all of us have read children's classics, where they live. What I want to say is that I don't have the feeling for them in the way you, probably, do, but the whole magic, connected with these creatures is so intriguing and beautiful, that always provokes my imagination! Although the weasel is a colourful accent, I take them as a whole...
    Your long forgotten book is a real treasure! It would be great if you could publish it - children will adore the story and will enjoy the drawings, I'm sure! So, if you decide to try - good luck!
    In the first moment I found your blog, I fell in love with your colour pencil drawings and, to be honest, I still like them most, because it's a miracle to me how you succeed to achieve such strong emotional effect with the "ordinary" colour pencils!!! Kisses, dear Amalia! xx

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  13. I love this! Cute story and cute illustrations :)

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  14. Love visiting your blog! (though it's been a while... :-() Nice to see your wonderful art, dear Amalia!!
    Your work is so inspiring!!
    Have a lovely and inspiring week!! ♥ ♥ ♥

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  15. Wow you can see the talent in your illustrations from college. I adore it! And I adore your new witch and the cat. Wow.

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  16. witches and cats.. combination more than perfect!
    it was a great one negotiate to leave the cleaning for another day. inspiration as this cannot let to pass in vain... why is a Sunday magic.
    xoxo
    yasmin :)

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  17. Oh, thank you all for the warm lovely comments! Makes me glad that I actually skipped that cleaning up on Sunday! Hahahaaa... Well, I think I may just change a few things with the book and send it off to the publisher!! I'll see you on your blogs soon... oxx

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  18. Luna was such an adorable little witch... and look at her now! Wow! What a great post Amalia! I love the story behind the story and the fact that you treated us to another amazing work of art instead of dusting! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! Absolutely enchanting piece... as usual ;o)

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  19. Hello Amalia, it's tardy finnie here :) Wow, this one is wonderful. Not that the other's aren't. The colour chord is superb, that balance of complementaries, that little bit of dynamic symmetry, and the way the eyes echo the face.

    So serene.
    Your book? What a discovery, you see it's been waiting there all those years and knew you would come back and rescue it...

    books are alive and have a mind of their own

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  20. Your blog always draws me in. This treasure you found is priceless! The illustrations are wonderful and sophisticated (hard to believe it's student work.) Your new witch is intriguing with her weasel pet! Again, drawing me in and making me wonder. Lovely, Amalia!!

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  21. WHOAAAA!!! Holy smoly sholy! The book is wonderful! Awww, she is so CUTE! I love her little face and elfin ears. I love her expressions. Even back then, you had the gift. What a great find! Housework? Pffffft! This is MUCH, much better. And look how your style has evolved since then. Aahhhh, your new witch is bewitching. She is beautiful in her subdued colors. Gorgeous hair, which is your trademark. Wow!

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  22. Ohhhh my goooooodness, Amalia! Your book is gorgeous...look at all of that talent oozing from it. The shine of her beautiful hair is what I think of as your special je ne sais quois. It is a gem, truly! And my word, Luna is gorgeous!! You are on fire, girl. I think Chicken turned out amazingly too. I am so amiss at my visits..I hope you forgive me as it's been far too long and I've missed visiting you. I shall do better and visit more often, dear Amalia. I hope you've been well!! I'm off to check out your shop now.. hugs to you.

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  23. Don't you love finding hidden treasures? It's so much fun to look back at something you did years before. I love the new witch also, I really like how you did her hair, nicely done Amalia.

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