Stari Grad, Travel with my art #53 & Fashion Illustration
Hello dear readers and fellow bloggers! It's time for another Travel with my art post. This art series is all about me posting original paintings and illustrations of different places, thus allowing you to travel (online) with my art. It's pretty neat if I may say so myself. There is actually more than one regular art series on my blog. Funny thing is that this aquarelle sketch covers both. This post could also be a part of my Friday Fashion Illustration or just Fashion Illustration of the day series. As regular readers of my blog know, Friday Fashion Illustration is a regular art feature on my blog where I post fashion illustrations on Fridays. Sometimes I also post on random days because the stars don't always align on Fridays. Moreover, there is also another art series where I post illustrations of fashion bloggers, and that one is called Inspired by. Sometimes I illustrate myself, and sometimes runaway looks. There are also regular posts about sustainable arts & crafts. Did I forget anything? We work hard for the original and sustainable content you'll can find on this little place to call my own. We also try to have fun! Life is hard and full of sorrow, we have to try to make the most of our own little moments of joy.
I've been blogging since November 2012. Somehow I managed to keep most if not all of my blog series running up to this day. I don't obsess with posting on certain days or a certain amount of times per week, months of a year. Scheduling blog posts might work for some people, but it my brain resists it. I'm one of those people who are organized in a chaotic way. If you let me do my own thing, you'll get results. Don't ask too much questions while I'm working on something because I improvise a lot. Generally, I can give best feedback only when I'm done with something and had some time to think it through.
Speaking of joy, visiting Stari Grad is always an immense pleasure and privilege. For a history lover, it does not get much better than visiting a town with 2400 years of urban history, and 4 000 years of human history (Stari Grad has been populated since the Neolitic times). Besides my painting, I'll also share details of my visit. I visit Stari Grad fairly often now that I call island Hvar my home, and I blog about most of my visits. I love the 'being a tourist in your area' philosophy. This particular visit was back in April. We walked around the town quite a bit, remembering many of our previous visits. We strolled the marine and admired the sea. I dressed comfortably and practically for this walk.
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| reference vs art |
The making of a painting
So, today I found a sketch I had made based on the photograph you can see above. I don't remember when I had made that sketch. It was made with coloured pencils, but it wasn't finished. So, I figured I might finished it with watercolour pencils.
I bought watercolour pencils a few days ago, and I took them with me because I knew I will be moving about and they are practical for travelling. In case, anyone is wondering I'm in Split right now. I know it's hard to keep track. I never seem to be in the same city or place for longer than a week, but I'm always in the same area, so I'm not that hard to track geographically after all. :)
Anyhow, I'm working on four paintings at the moment. None of them are finished, and none of them are with me. I really wanted to do something quickly, so I settled on finishing this painting. I also started a couple of illustrations today, but I didn't finish any of them. Today was just a hard day, I had a headache and I barely managed to do minimal of work. The paintings were not painting today, and the colours were not colouring.
I did, however, managed to finish this sketch. I used watercolour pencils to add in some details. Not a lot of details, but some. I coloured the sky, the beach and the sea. I added details such as the trees. I basically drew them with watercolour pencils. I added a bit more details to my outfit. Not a lot. This isn't a large painting and I wanted to finish it quickly- so I wanted to do as little details as possible while still getting the feeling of the place.
When I finished with the drawing, I added water. Sometimes I just splashed water around, trying to get that watercolour/ aquarelle look. I didn't think much about the original coloured pencil sketch. I just drew over it and when I added water, it naturally moved towards the aquarelle look. Honestly, I don't think that it made a lot of difference, the fact that there was a coloured pencil sketch first. This is not a very ambitious illustration.
I did not think much about mixed media thing, that is, my mixing of art media. I think I was always pretty comfortable with mixing art media. Sometimes you have to think and plan ahead when you mix different media, but as always it depends on how ambitious your particular art piece is. This one was a quick job so I didn't plan anything or think it through. While I was adding water with the brush, sometimes I tried to create some accents and I moved my brush with a sense of direction. I mean this is not my first time working with watercolour pencils, so I have a pretty good general idea of it.
As I explained in my last post, the typical seascape and landscape canvases that I do take a lot of time, effort, patience and what not. So, doing something quickly can feel like a break. Did I do an amazing job with this one? Obviously not. Did I learn something from this aquarelle sketch? Probably not. I mean apart from the fact that I can do something quickly if I have to. Not everything needs to be a lesson. Not everything needs to be a masterpiece. Sometimes you just get something done and that's it. Something to look at. Something you can point at and say- I did this. It's not perfect, perhaps it isn't even good, but I did it and that's sometimes good enough.
Art in particular is tricky. It is rarely a linear growth in skills. There is a lot of back and forth going on, if you know what I mean. You need to keep working on your skills if you want to keep them. Use it or lose it and all that. You need to practice different things, lest you forget how to do it. However, art is such a vast field. You cannot be good at everything. You cannot practice everything.
Artist growth is a bit like growth of certain weeping tree. It is not linear. You don't just go straight up. There are many branches and directions. Sometimes you grow down, but it is still growth. I don't know if I'm making sense with this metaphor. What I want to say is that growth does not have to be uniform. Especially for an artist.
If there is something that I learnt from doing art all these years is you have to have faith. Sometimes all you'll manage is a quick sketch, but that sketch will take you somewhere some day. A sketch will often turn into a painting. A painting will often get redone or inspired other paintings. Some day you'll create a thing of beauty. But probably not every day. Have faith. Do the work.
I think I wrote about how overthinking can kill an artist in us. When we overthink, we freeze. Instead of sketching, instead of drawing and painting drills, instead of shadowing and mixing paint, we run circles in our head. Sometimes we need to think less, and do more. As the Nike commercial says- Just do it!
However, sometimes we need to think. Sometimes a painting will require a lot of thinking! Thinking before you ever touch the brush. Thinking while you're painting. Thinking after you've done all the painting for that day. I think a lot about painting. Is it done? Does it need more? Should I start again.
Sometimes you just have to keep going, working on a certain painting, all while having faith it will work out. Sometimes you need to really think things through. There are no fixed rules that can be followed, in life or art. Hopefully, we learn something new every day.
We take the opportunities we can. Like I did on the image below when I took the opportunity to practice one asana. Working out is a must if you're doing to do art. In particular, I would recommend lots of stretching exercises. Making art is very hard on our backs and necks, not just arms and hands. Many artists ended up with life long irreversible injuries because they were not informed of the dangers. Even if you do art as a hobby, it does not hurt to stretch. Human body was made for movement. So, was the human mind. Finding the balance between the two can be tricky.
Let us travel together....and reflect on what travelling is...
Travel. Once I asked this question on my blog- Has there ever been a word so poignant with meaning as travel? For what it means to travel? Look up travel in a dictionary and you'll find numerous idioms, metaphors and definitions.
Travel is a part of our daily lives. We can travel internally and externally. Do we not all travel back when we remember? We travel in time, space and memory. We travel internally whenever we have a spiritual, emotional or intellectual experience. We travel in our hearts and in our minds. Often we travel both internally and externally. Our life is like one voyage after another. Often we aren't even aware of how much travelling we truly undertake. Our languages, however, remember. That is why we have so many idioms and metaphors connected with travelling in our vocabularies.
Take a look at how many meanings the Cambridge dictionary reveals when it comes to word travel:
In English, 'travel' can be both a verb and a noun, and in case of US English- travel can also be an adjective!
1) travel
-to make a journey, usually over a long distance: Between school and university, she spent a year travelling, mostly in Africa and Asia.
- travel to something by something I travel to work by train.He travelled over 1,000 miles to be at the wedding.
4) to move or go from one place to another:
Signals at this wavelength can travel easily through buildings.
5) really travel mainly UK informal
That bike can really travel!
6)
have something, will travel
7) the activity of travelling:
business travel
We share a love of literature, food and travel.
11) direction of travel The arrows show the ball's direction of travel.
What about travel idioms? This Idiom Insider site lists 28 of them and I will pick ten of them to share with you.1) Hit the road 2) On the go 3) Off the beaten path 4) Full steam ahead 5) Take the scenic route 6) Make tracks 7) Go the extra mile 8) Travel far and wide 9) All roads lead to Rome 10) Drop someone off
Do you have any favourite idioms or expressions connected to travelling? Do you use any of the idioms above?
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| A peaceful moment in Stari Grad Marine |
You know I visited Stari Grad before, but how many times have I blogged about it?
This was my 32nd documented visited on this blog- if my blog archives have been properly checked. This makes me wonder, how many times have I visited Stari Grad in reall life? 200? 300? 1000?
1. You can visit this 2020 late Summer post to stroll Stari Grad streets with me. In this post, I posed in my iconic grey dress paired with a red sailor bag bought from a local seamstress. You can also see the historical Shipyard square in this post. I mean you can also see it in this post, but you might want to have another look to see how it looks bathed in sunshine.
Full link address: https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2020/10/a-neutral-grey-dress-for-visit-to-stari.html
2. In this Summer 2020 post, you can visit Stari Grad Unesco protected plain with me and learn a thing or two about its history. I also snapped some pictures of a small helicopter and airplane that landed there. I don't know who they belong to. Island Hvar does not have a real airport. It is more an airfield that small airplanes use to land. There are a couple of airports near island Hvar, the nearest two are Split city airport and Brač airport. Brač island has a proper International airport, fully functional and all that.
Full link address: https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2020/10/visit-stari-grad-plain-fully-preserved.html
3. In this winter 2018 post, I shared a mini acrylic sketch of St Stephen church in Stari Grad. I used a summer photograph for the painting. I also painted this church in oils many years ago. I think I don't have these paintings anymore. Maybe the acrylic sketch is still with me. Besides the painting sketch, I also shared ten interesting facts about St Stephen church in this post. I really put in some effort in that post.
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4. In this March 2014 post, I shared my photography with you. It was back when I actually had a proper camera and took a lot of photographs. Some of them were not bad at all.
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5. In this May 2016 post, I shared the most beautiful bus stop in the world, located in Stari Grad port. Of course, I was funny subjective in calling it the most beautiful bus top. It is in reality a very ordinary bus stop. However, the view from this bus stop is absolutely gorgeous. So, it is if not the most beautiful, then one of the most beautiful bus stops in the world.
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6. In this August 2014 post, I shared with you our (my husband and mine) photography of both Jelsa and Stari Grad.
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https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2014/08/two-cities-one-day-dva-grada-jedan-dan.html
7. In this October 2014 post, I again showed you my photography of Stari Grad. Do you see how this city inspires me? In this post, I captured a lot of sides of Stari Grad. I took some lovely sunset photographs of the Stari Grad boats with the boats and all. I named the post Postcards from Stari Grad because these photographs reminded me of postcards.
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https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2014/10/postcards-from-dalmatia-starigrad.html
8. In this 2013 post, I shared my visit to three Croatian cities and Stari Grad was one of them. This was another photography post. I did not write much but let the photographs do the talking. I might update this post one of these days if I find time. Sometimes I update my old posts to add relevant information.
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https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2013/06/3-cities-one-day-split-starigrad-jelsa.html
9. In this April 2013 post, I wrote about Stari Grad a bit. I basically shared a post for which the photographs were actually taken in Summer prior to 2013. I don't remember the exact year but I know it was before I graduated University and got married. I recently updated this post to add some links and some of my art. You can see me posing in front of Church of Saint Stephen here.
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10. In this May 2020 post, I showed you beautiful beaches in front and around Arkada hotel in Stari Grad. This hotel was never open when I visited, but I always love hanging around it. I think it's because. Its brutalist architecture might not be to everyone's taste, but I like it. The hotel's whiteness looks very idyllic surrounded by all the greenery. Maybe some day I'll get to actually get inside of this hotel.
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11. In this August 2024 post, I shared an outfit post wearing a blue dress. The outfit was shot on a ferry. Stari Grad port is visible in the background. Moreover, there are some nice photographs of Stari Grad post as well. Again, this was when I had a proper camera and took professional looking photographs. These days we rely on our cellphones.
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12. In this December 2013 post, I shared my twelve favourite urban photographs of the year and Stari Grad was one of them.
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13. In this October 2020 post, I showed you what I wore for a visit to Stari Grad. I remember I was proud about wearing a t-shirt with a print of my painting. The whole I wear my art thing that I wrote about a couple of times. I also shared a dining recommendation. Moreover, at the end of the post I took you to bay Brezovica, near Stari Grad. This was a fun post.
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14. In this October 2021 post, I shared one of my seascape painting inspired by Stari Grad specifically. The location I was inspired by is basically the view from Arcada hotel in Stari Grad. Check it out if you love seaside inspire art.
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15. In this 2015 post, I shared an oil painting inspired by Saint Stephen church in Stari Grad.
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16. In this 2020 post, I shared two autumn outfits. I shot one of them in Stari Grad.
Full link address: https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2020/10/two-autumn-outfit-ideas-with-graphic-t.html
17. In this 2020 post, I wrote about different historical sights in Stari Grad, such as Saint John and Saint Roch church as well as Renaissance garden of Castle Tvrdalj.
Full link address: https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2020/07/wiw-to-visit-stari-grad-island-hvar.html
18. In this 2019 travel post, I also wrote a lot about historical sights in Stari Grad, for example the Dominican monastery and so on. I also recently uploaded this post with more relevant links.
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19. In this post 2019 post, I showed you what to wear to Stari Grad in Autumn.
20. In this 2020 post, I reviewed a novel and I used Stari Grad as a background.
Full link address: https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2020/10/our-kate-autobiographical-novel-by.html
21. In this 2019 post, I showed you how Advent in Stari Grad looks like. I showed you Castle Tvrdalj (from outside), Stari Grad port and the famous narrow streets.
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22. In this 2019 post, I shared my visit to Renaissance castle villa Tvrdalj. You can see how this famous Renaissance castle looks on the inside as well as read some of my descriptions.
Full links address: https://modaodaradosti.blogspot.com/2019/11/inside-of-renaissance-villa-of-petar.html
23. In this 2020 post, I blogged about sustainable fashion, that is plus thirty ways to wear a pair of white sneakers. However, if you look at the photographs at the start of this post, you'll see it shows Stari Grad port and the olive gardens one can find walking from the city to the port. A walk I highly recommend!
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24. In this 2020 post, I shared a bay that is located right next to Stari Grad port. It is not far from the city centre either. A French complex is being built there at the moment, but I think the bay will be open to everyone.
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25. In this 2020 post, I shared a travelogue about bay Lozna that is located right next to rt Kabal. This bay is located in vicinity of Stari Grad.
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26. In this 2023 post, I shared my painting of Lozna bay near Stari Grad.
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27. In this 2021 post, I shared my painting of bay near Stari Grad.
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28. In this 2021 post, I shared four Autumn outfits, two of them I wore for a visit to Stari Grad.
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29. In this 2019 post, I shared one of my favourite all vintage Autumn outfits of all time. Somehoe wearing vintage for a visit to Stari Grad seems very appropriate. I wrote a bit about the history of Stari Grad in this post. I showed you a stone house that was built when America was discovered.
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30. In this 2021 post, I showed different ways to wear a printed t-shirt and many of these outfist were shot in Stari Grad.
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| In the company of my husband /photographer mr. Džidić |
Besides visiting Stari Grad and writing about it, I can also boost with illustrating and painting it. Speaking of art inspired by this beautiful historical town, now is as good time as any to share Travel with my Art links. Below you can find links that will show you different places I have painted and illustrated. In other words, why not travel with my art?
#1 PALERMO ISLAND SICILY #2 BAY MALA STINIVA #3 IRKUTSK #4 MATEJUŠKA #5 HVAR CITY #6 ZENTA MARINE #7 ZAVALA #8 SUCURAJ #9 MALA STINIVA #10 HVAR TOWN #11 JELSA TOWN, DANCE OF THE SAILS #12 ZAVALA #13: SUCURAJ LIGHTING HOUSE #14: BAY BRIZENICA #15 BAY LOZNA #16 BAY VEPRINOVA #17 BOL #18 PLANINICA #19 SUCURAJ, BOATS AT PORT, #20 BEACH SOLINE #21 STARI GRAD, VIEW FROM HOTEL ARKADA #22 MAKARSKA BOATS #23 ZAVALA BEACH PANORAMA #24 ŽNJAN BEACH WITH A MOUNTAIN BACKGROUND #25 JELSA #26 ZAVALA BEACH BAY #27 MALA STINIVA IN SUMMER #28 TRAVEL WITH MY ART, BASINA BAY #29 TRAVEL WITH MY ART, BAY TORAC AT SUNSET #30 TRAVEL WITH MY ART, VALETTA, ISLAND MALTA #31 CAPE PLANKA #32 QUICK ZAVALA SKETCH #33: LOZNA COMISSIONED #34 BOTA SURF CENTRE #35 BEACH KAMENJARA #36 A COMISSIONED CHAPEL PAINTING MOSTAR #37 A SEAVIEW FROM A PARK #38 BUNA CANALS #39- STJEPAN FORTRESS BLAGAJ # 40 A VIEW FROM MARINE LUČICA
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| You can see find more of Stari Grad art on my blog |
Sustainable fashion files- The story of my outfit- How I wore these clothing items before?
In an effort to promote fashion sustainability, I like to link up my clothing items, showing different ways I styled them. You know, showing you that I really do 'shop my closet'.
That's all for today. Let me know how you're doing. What are you up to? Are you making any art? Are you doing anything creative? Are you learning something new? Are you working or resting? What's up?
The captain striped cap (old no name) - I had this white and red striped cap for years. I sometimes reverse this captain style summer cap and turn it into a baker boy cap. I'm crafty that way.
8- 11) Striped cap worn with four different summer outfits in this post devoted to platform sandals.
....That is what I found for now but probably I can find even more looks and outfits.
I think blogging has helped me be more productive with my art, my various blogging series in particular. Speaking of that, I'll leave some links in case you want to check out more of my fashion illustrating work:
The checkered flared sleeved blouse with embroidery details (second hand)
I actually haven't worn it before on my blog. In real life, I have worn it around ten to fifteen times. I do have a few outfits with it shot on camera, but they haven't come around yet. Stay posted. I do like this blouse. I have worn it to work a couple of time.
The denim vest with DIY embroidery (Azel, old)- I've had this denim vest for years. In fact, it was featured in one of the first outfits published on this blog. I even added some embroidery to it. I did a nice job of it as well. I remember doing embroidery in my grandmother's Mande old house, and she complimented me on it. I miss her so much. She loved doing embroidery and lace work.
The red bag (gifted)
8) In this 2025 post, I wore it with a pink polka dot dress.
9) It was also worn with a floral print ruffled mini dress in 2025.
The pale pink Nike sneakers
In this fairly recent post, you can see me wear them with 3 different outfits.
In this post, you can see me styling this pair of sneakers with a white and blue striped ruffled dress.
In this post, I wore these sneakers for the first time on the blog with a pink dress for a visit to Split.
I was just talking about how I like dresses the other day. Really, on most days you'll catch me wearing a dress or a top and skirt. This is as much true in the colder months as it is in the warmer months. However, sometimes I like to wear jeans. Not every often but every so and so. When it comes to jeans, flares and wide cuts were always my favourite choice. Sometimes I opt for a straight cut, but usually I will pick flared. When it comes to denim, cord is something I will never get tired of.
The black cord flared jeans (old)- This is another item I have had for a long time.
With that we can wrap up the story of my outfit. Shopping my closet is something that comes naturally for me. Still, sometimes I surprise myself when I browse my blog archives and get reminded how many times I have worn some item or how many different ways I have managed to style it.
Take this black pair of cord jeans for example. I have worn them during all seasons: winter, spring, summer and autumn. I have styled them up and down. I had so much fun wearing them. I have also worn them to work quite often.
I can sincerely say that having a blog has made me more environmentally friendly and conscious. I always enjoyed shopping by closet but having a blog has taken it to a whole new level. I follow a lot of bloggers who are very sustainable in their fashion choices. Bird of feather flock together, as they say.
Besides teaching me about how to maximize my closet, blogging has taught me so much. It has inspired me to read and research, write more and explore the various topics I'm writing and blogging about from books, to art, fashion, style and destinations.
I think the reason why I have been blogging for so long is that I found what makes it meaningful to me. This does not have to make it meaningful to someone else. To me, blogging still makes sense. That is why I continue to do it.
The growth of my blog has been organic and I hope it will stay that way. I would like for this blog to continue to be a place that will feel authentic. A place for learning, reading and research. I hope my blog will continue to teach me things and that I'll continue to grow with it.
This year I made five fashion illustrations of myself. All of them quick fashion sketches, drawn with some random coloured pencils on A4 printing paper ( See 1/ 2/ 3/ 4 / 5), but I'm still proud of the effort.
I think blogging has helped me be more productive with my art, my various blogging series in particular. Speaking of that, I'll leave some links in case you want to check out more of my fashion illustrating work:
That's all for today. Let me know how you're doing. What are you up to? Are you making any art? Are you doing anything creative? Are you learning something new? Are you working or resting? What's up?
Thank you for reading and visiting.
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