£15.00
Magic Foretold – Apothecary Art Download
Hand painted in Procreate
A4
Description
Magic Foretold
Apothecary Art Download
Digital apothecary art of a young fortune teller in an old-fashioned apothecary shoppe.
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Intention for Magic Foretold – Apothecary Art
Magical Foretold is the most ambitious of my digital pieces to date (2023). A fun, quirky artwork with a fantasy feel. This is an imaginative realism painting and depicts a young psychic in an old-fashioned apothecary shop. She is surrounded by witchy bottles full of mysterious substances and in front of her are items you would expect to see in a fortune teller’s tent. A crystal ball, candles and tarot cards.
My intention was to create a warm, cosy environment… at first glance at least. And the copper reflections of light on the bottles are complemented by the soft glints of candle light in the crystal. But once you start to investigate, you increasingly see darker elements in this seemingly friendly scene. Apothecary jars full of strange substances with peeling, yellowed labels. Old boxes that could contain wands or spellcraft items. Tools of prophecy and divination.
The female subject looks straight out of the painting with an unwavering gaze. Small marks of a moon and star are visible on her face. Unlike tattoos, these marks are smooth and clear, which make them seem as if they have been summoned to the surface of her skin from within, rather than inked on from an external source.
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Juxtaposition in Magic Foretold
I wanted to create a very detailed piece where every time it’s looked at the onlooker finds something new they hadn’t spotted before.
For example, I purposefully chose a retro set of tarot cards. First printed in the early 70s, the Aquarian Tarot was illustrated by artist, David Palladini. The artwork is simple with just a hint of art nouveau.
There is no technology in sight, but you could be forgiven for thinking that the young brunette in this piece of apothecary art is of the modern day. The juxtaposition between the almost mediaeval-looking shop, the simple tarot cards and the mysterious woman give the whole artwork a slightly unnerving feel. That’s one of my main motivations behind the perspective – the young woman is looking at us straight on, but the shelves of the shop tower above us, giving the impression that we’re somehow looking up at her, despite looking her directly in the eyes.
In the same vein, the cards that I chose from the tarot deck are The Fool and The Empress. These are two very different cards; however, when drawn together they can send an interesting message. The Fool represents new beginnings, risk taking and innocence. The Empress represents creativity, abundance and nurturing. Together, these cards can provide deep insight into the process of creation and manifestation. Be bold, take risks, don’t get ground down in your creativity, whatever that may be. And most of all, be prepared for your imagination to open you up to new beginnings. Two disparate messages that create a powerful message of positivity.
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Old-Fashioned Apothecary Art in a Modern Medium
This painting has been in the back of my mind for almost two years and I felt somewhat limited by a canvas. Don’t get me wrong, I intend to recreate all of my digital works in traditional media, but there were so many elements in this piece that I found starting it a mammoth task. Discovering digital art at the end of 2022 opened up another avenue – one where I could work piece by piece and play around, layer up the details and shift the perspective in a way that traditional painting just can’t. It’s a sketch for the modern artist, if you will. I’m all for utilising the tools to hand, and especially if it’s a new medium. Although, don’t get me started on AI!
As with all my digital pieces, I stuck to my favourite brushes. Just the medium/hard and medium airbrush. I find that’s the closest effect I can get to the kind of smooth acrylic paintings I like to create. No matter which brushes I try out, I always get frustrated by their limitations and much prefer to create my own effects.
Apothecary Art Prints for Sale
Magic Foretold is currently available only in art download format and as prints and merch. See below for more information on prints, or purchase this as a download and create your own prints in as many ways as you like and as many times as you want to.
Apothecary Art Medium
Procreate – medium/hard airbrush only.