“Red Ribbons” for Maven

My illustration for Maven magazine has been published! I’m so happy with how it turned out. This was the initial pencil sketch I made last December:

I was excited when Maven got in touch with me last year, asking if I was interested to create an HIV awareness-themed illustration for their upcoming summer romance issue. Apart from the advocacy, they also wanted to promote a local artist and give readers their very own “pin-up” of my work (yay!). I envisioned a girl wrapped in layers upon layers of ribbons, in a way that looked like she was wearing a sexy dress, while being “protected,” as it were. I didn’t want the ribbons tightly draped, so as not to create a stifled feeling. The ribbons had to be mostly red (HIV awareness) and not pink (breast cancer awareness).

I’ve never read Maven, so this issue became a great introduction. I haven’t gone through every single article, but from what I have, the stories are really smart and well-written. They have that much-needed dose of wit, while still keeping it real for the modern-day Filipina. I find it a cross between the (now defunct) Marie Claire Philippines and Cosmopolitan Philippines–a good mix of real life, entertainment, fashion, and those issues no one dare talk about.

Pick up a copy of Maven‘s February-March 2012 issue, featuring the very pretty Kim Chiu on the cover (available in all major bookstores and newsstands nationwide).

Tagged as: magazine, maven, pencil, poster, watercolor