Flower dresses
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- Published: Saturday, 11 November 2023 11:11
Join the adventure into the world of midsummer magic, wildflowers and fantasy cats. Sandcastle.fi blog follows the path to fascinating art, where dreamy elements are playing with the reality - and illustrations are completed with Finnish wildflowers. Artist Sanna of the Sandcastle takes you into a journey to creativity, art and illustrations.
On the 11th of November remembering all those flower dresses...
Above collection of flower dresses. Which one is your favorite: 1,2,3 or 4?
You can read more about these styles in here:
1. Blooming dress under the midnight sun
3. Wistful eyes
4. Yellow dress
Sending you light and energy! Stay strong and be brave!
Wishing you magical ideas and fairy tale visions!
Magical Midsummer to you!
The Päivätär (Sun Maiden) illustration above was created several years ago as a part of the collection of mythic midummer characters. And now during the midnight sun, it´s time for Päivätär to shine.
The Päivätär was designed together with the Midsummer Dryad, Naiad, Eve and Love Spell. Can you still remember those mythic characters from the previous blog posts? Together they are creating a series of mythic midsummer illustrations.
All these illustrations above were inspired by the Finnish mythology and mythical characters from the Finnish folklore. And of course the amazing Finnish wildflowers and midsummer magic were offering a lot of inspiration on the way.
Already years ago visions of the mythic midsummer characters started to develop in my sketchbook based on the old myths - and those ideas started then to transform into new illustrations. And now during the summer solstice it´s nice to write a bit more about the creative process of the Päivätär-illustration.
In English ”Päivätär” translates as Sun Maiden or Sun Spirit. The Finnish word Päivätär has a strong connection to Finnish mythology and especially to Kalevala poetry. In that way the Kalevala was influencing this illustration right from the start. And in this illustration, the Kalevala was not only nourishing the visions and imagination... but it also literally adventured with me in the forests and wandered with me in the meadows, when I was searching for the wildflowers.
The Kalevala is a 19th-century work of epic poetry compiled by Elias Lönnrot from Karelian and Finnish folklore and mythology. The Kalevala is based always in the same metre (poetry) that is a form of trochaic tetrameter, now known as the Kalevala metre.
More info about the Kalevala you can find for example in here:
Kalevala in wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalevala
About Kalevala in the Finnish Literature Society
http://nebu.finlit.fi/kalevala/index.php?m=163&l=2
Kalevala Society Foundation (currently available in Finnish language)
http://kalevalaseura.fi/
Since the first sketches, all the mythic characters were designed to have their own styles and selected colors. ”Päivätär” as the Sun Maiden were then chosen to have that strong yellow and sunny style with touches of white. The Sun Maiden character was also designed to have that theme of conveying and radiating light… and making the plants grow and the flowers to bloom. In the illustration the darker green lower part of the floral dress is celebrating that verdancy and is also forming a ground and a platform for that radiating yellowness to bloom.
The sunny flower dress of the Päivätär was completed with meadow buttercups, white clovers and daisies – and with that yellow dandelion flower. That charming dandelion became a perfect eye-catcher into the floral dress – and it became also a very special symbol for the sun and for the midsummer day.
From the start it was clear that the Päivätär would have same style with the other midsummer mythic characters. For that reason the Päivätär had only gentle nuances of the Kalevala, so that all the different stories and styles of the other characters would merge consistently.
But the Kalevala was inspiring me all the way when illustrating the mythic midsummer characters and especially the Päivätär. And in the Kalevala poems it´s for example described: ”I heard Moon Spirit weaving, Sun Spirit spinning…”. And in some of the Kalevala poems the clothes were ” finished off by Sun Spirit”.
And for example one beautiful verse in English has meaning as: ”Open the best chest, fling open the lid of many colors; in it are six gold belts, seven blue dresses: those were woven by Moon Spirit, finished off by Sun Spirit.”
But how does that verse look like in Finnish with that archaic language… ? The same verse is attached below from Kalevala (and it´s also seen in the picture below):
”Astu aittahan mäelle
- aukaise parahin aitta - !
Siell' on arkku arkun päällä,
lipas lippahan lomassa.
Aukaise parahin arkku,
kansi kirjo kimmahuta:
siin' on kuusi kultavyötä,
seitsemän sinihamoista.
Ne on Kuuttaren kutomat,
Päivättären päättelemät.”
The Finnish word ”Päivätär” and Finnish language brought special features into this illustration, in the same way than the water related words in the previous Naiad illustration.
And for all you intrested about languages I this time linked again also some Päivätär and sun related words for you to listen in Finnish language... The words are pronounced in Forvo and the links open in a new window (in Forvo press the blue play button for listening).
Aurinko (Sun)
Päivätär (Sun Maiden, Sun spirit)
Keskikesä (Midsummer)
Ilta-auringon kajo (the shimmer of the evening sun)
Hopea (silver)
One of the words listed in links above is "hopea" that translates as silver. In the Finnish folklore and in the Kalevala it has special meaning. And also in this context with Päivätär, because in Kalevala poetry people sometimes asked for the Päivätär to give sun´s silver. Like in the picture below where some of the Finnish words translates: " Sun Spirit, give some of your silver ..."
And when reading the Kalevala poems, the mind wandered into those moments when Päivätär were requested to give silver, clothes and jewellery... and especially to those mystic events, when the sun´s silver was then magically given. Those moments described were also taking a symbolic shape in the illustration, but in a very abstract way.
And in the picture below that sun´s silver was finding it´s place beside the sunrays that were drawn with quite abstract style... and eventually that sun´s silver in the illustration became like a part of that radiating sunlight of the Päivätär.
The sun´s silver in the illustration became a special clue to Kalevala and to Finnish folklore. But because the mythic maidens in these illustrations have a certain style, I therefore added the details from Kalevala poetry in a very subtle way. The approach also reminded a bit of the way how the wawy elements were added for the Naiad in a certain way.
It was interesting through the Päivätär illustration to research that abstract style for example when describing the sun´s silver or those sunrays. With that approach also those smallest details referring to Kalevala were adjusted to the bigger picture and merged in the shared story of all the maidens.
But despite that mentioned abstract drawing style... the characters in these illustrations still had that quite glorious crown for every mythic maiden. But even those crowns were drawn with reduced style and in smaller size if compared to bigger and highly detailed drawings. And it was fascinating trying to draw something glorious but in a plain and reduced way!
And like the other maidens, the Päivätär had her own unique crown designed. And as a result her crown has symbolism of the sun, sun´s silver and light. In her crown it was also important to maintain that similar style with the crowns of the other maidens.
Inspired by the Kalevala, the crown of the Päivätär became silvery, like that sun´s silver in the poems. The colors of the character´s crown were drawn and colored to mimic silvery tones. And the white highlights of the crown were reminding of the midnight sun and white light, but they also were matching nicely with the white daisies of the floral dress. Those white tones brought also some freshness and lightness to the style of the Päivätär – and while coloring, those colors were taking me straight into the light and bright summer days.
Wishing magical ideas and fairy tale moments for your Midsummer Eve!
And wishing you bright and magical midnight sun!
This work in progress picture above is from the moment when I was creating the midsummer floral dress design. In that captured moment I was just arranging miniature flowers on the character´s hair.
This floral dress design was completed with Finnish wildflowers. This time the midsummer themed character and her blooming dress was designed to have yellow and green tones.
After drawing the midsummer character the flower dress was then built of the wildflowers that were found from the secret meadow.
And as a result on the Midsummer´s Eve the character´s dress was then blooming and the shadows of the wildflowers were gently dancing in the midsummer light...
In the "behind the scenes" picture below is captured a moment of that midsummer day when I was waiting for the shadows to come and play... In the pictures you can also see details of the blooming hem.
In the pictures below you can see also that face of the drawn character more clearly. This time the green tones were added as a "make-up" for the eyes and adjusted then to the pale tones and the gentle colors of the facial area.
Looking back and remembering those soft summer shadows... as well as those sunny midsummer days.
And I remember those smallest flowers that can radiate so much light...
And I´m sending you right now light, energy and strength! Stay strong!
Shadows of the wildflowers are already dancing in the secret meadow… It is Midsummer ´s Eve!
Wishing Magical Midsummer´s Eve!
May those fairy tale worlds be open and bring you magical ideas.
"On the Midsummer's Eve she found herself in the fairytale world, where under the midnight sun, the reality was suddenly pink and magical things could happen... And during that nightless night, her dress was made of blooming wildflowers" ?
This floral dress above was designed especially for the Midsummer´s Eve and it was inspired by that special pink moment under the midnight sun… That moment when everything can be observed only through magical pink color lens - and it all feels so dreamy and surreal. Like the reality would suddenly be altered to a mythic fairy tale.
Below there´s a memory of that special moment when the midnight sun put the pink spell on my sketchbook.
I was amazed by that pink reality - and therefore this midsummer floral dress was aiming to cherish those same pink tones that were seen under the midnight sun... Designing this floral dress took me right back into that moment when the pink reality was just about to turn into a more purple story. As a result this blooming dress was then combining wildflowers with pink, magenta and also light purple tones.
This flower dress with pink and magenta colors had also a bit same mood than the older mythic "Midsummer Love Spell" dress design. But this time I designed the drawn character to have a bit different midsummer style with a upper part that looks more like a traditional and romantic blouse that has also more drawn details and small flower decorations on it. At the same time I wanted the upper part to stay light and airy, like an outfit especially designed for the Midsummer´s Eve celebrations.
All the colors of the drawn character were designed to embrace those magical pink and purple tones that were coloring the reality under the midnight sun. But at the same time the colors of the drawn character were kept more lighter than the vivid and colorful wildflowers of the floral dress.
The drawn upper part of the dress was then also completed with small flowers as a decoration. Below there´s a work in progress picture of that moment.
A special detail for those flower decorations in the upper part of the character and also for the floral dress were the flowers of the narrow-leaved everlasting-pea (Lathyrus sylvestris). In this case those flowers were a perfect color match to the magical pink midsummer mood as well as to the adjusted light colors of the drawn character.
The small and magical flowers of narrow-leaved everlasting-pea were like hidden miniature orchids just waiting to be found. It was also wonderful to find the first blooming ones, right in time, during the summer solstice.
Below you can also see those small flowers then compared to the size of the pink colored pencils.
In the creative process those "miniature orchids" were intriguing... especially when building a miniature floral hair arrangements for the midsummer character. Below there´s a work in progress picture of that moment when fitting the smallest flower elements together.
Below is also pictures from the blooming trail of the floral dress. The trail for this pink midsummer dress was created with red clover flowers (Trifolium pratense), fireweed flowers (Chamaernerion) and with field scabious (Knautia arvensis) flowers.
Under the midnight sun the colors may have magical pink tones - and one could even find "miniature orchids"!
Wishing magical midsummer moments to you all!
It is time to step into the fairy tale world when the midnight sun puts a pink spell on the sketchbook...
This magical fantasy world can be entered only during the summer solstice. Awake and watching that pink reality... And wondering if it´s all a midsummer night´s dream.
Wishing you magical Midsummer´s Eve!
May those fairy tale worlds be open and bring you a lot of magical ideas.
Wearing the heather flowers. Welcome autumn!
This floral dress above was completed with heather flowers. For a change I wanted to create a shorter floral dress design with early autumn mood, and complete the style then with romantic floral boots.
The colors to the drawn character were selected based on the heather flowers, emphasizing the flower colors along with the green tones. In the picture below there´s a close-up of the character.
At this stage above I was adding those small flower decorations on her hair and also on the upper part of the dress.
This time the drawn character was designed to have dark brown eyes that were emphasized with vivid green and dark purple color layers in the eyelid area. The eyes can be seen more clearly in the picture below.
A special detail in this floral dress design were those romantic boots that were also decorated with small heather flowers. Below is the work in progress picture. Drawing the miniature boots and then completing them with small heather flowers were probably one of my favorite moments when creating this illustration.
Wishing happy and creative autumn moments to Sandcastle.fi blog readers!
On the Midsummer's Eve she walked along the lake shore in Finland. And during that nightless night, under the midnight sun, her dress was made of blooming wildflowers ?
This floral dress above was designed for the Midsummer´s Eve and was especially inspired by the magical colors and moments under the midnight sun.
The floral trail of the blooming dress was designed to resemble a path along the Finnish lake shore. A path, where white wildflowers shine like the white night and where those purple blue flowers of the tufted vetch resemble the mystic lake that the midnight sun has colored with purple blue tones. Below is a close up from that blooming trail of the floral dress.
Under the midnight sun I was fascinated by that beautiful light purple color of the lake and therefore also the shadow colors of the drawn character were designed to embrace that same magical color.
The character was designed to have a traditional midsummer style and the drawn upper part of the dress was then also completed with small flowers as a decoration. A special detail was to find also light purple wildflowers for those small flower decorations in the upper part of the character. In this case the heath speedwell (Veronica officinalis) was a perfect color match to the magical light purple lake as well as to the violet shadow colors of the character.
The small and delicate flowers of the heath speedwell were like a hidden treasure waiting to be found under the other midsummer flowers and plants.
In the creative process those small flowers were then magical... Below you can also see the flowers compared to the size of a colored pencil. Fitting those small flowers together into the character´s decorations seemed like building a miniature flower arrangement.
For the small flower decorations in the upper part of the design I also used a few of those light blue flowers of myosotis. The clear light blue colored flowers were matching nicely with the character´s eye color. And as a result her eyes were then celebrating the midsummer night´s tones - eyes more like the light blue flowers of myosotis and shadow colors of the eyelids based on heath speedwell like that light purple lake.
During the Midsummer´s Eve there´s that magical moment under the midnight sun, when the sunrays highlight the white night with orange tones. That is why this floral dress design required also those stronger orange and yellow touches to lighten up the whole character and floral design. For that reason the floral dress has yellow flowers of the meadow vetchling and buttercup included in it.
In addition also in the drawn character those yellow and orange colored layers are reminding those warm rays of the midnight sun. In the detail pictures the orange sketchy lines as well as the warm tones in the character´s facial area can be seen more clearly.
During the Midsummer´s Eve enchanting things can happen. Under the midnight sun the colors may have magical tones, and even the lake seem to be light purple.
Wishing magical midsummer moments to you all!
Mesmerized by the midnight sun…. ?
Magical Midsummer´s Eve to my blog readers!
Wishing magical ideas and fairy tale visions to you all ?
When the escaped character had suddenly returned into my sketchbook…
I could only wonder was it all real - or just a midsummer night’s dream.
And those blooming wildflowers of the character´s floral dress... Could they remember all her midsummer adventures?
The midsummer themed floral dress in the picture above was created with fireweed flowers - and also with both white and red clovers.
And in addition also the upper part of the dress had some more flowers and leaves drawn into it, just in the same style than the ones in the character´s anadem. That way the added drawn flowers became also like a decoration to her dress.
The escaped character had so many dreams of her dress. Could this finished floral dress now describe that magical night under the midsummer sun - and even remind of those sweetest clover fields? All those adventures that the character had during the midsummer.
And because the escaped character had finally returned, maybe her wishes came true in her floral dress after all... Perhaps that dress could now enshrine all the memories of her midsummer adventures forever.
Under the midnight sun ?
I know she wanted to stay there...
But please, escaped character, come back into my sketchbook…
I would color you.
I would make the floral dress of your dreams for you.
Please, just return.
The escaped character was seen near the clover fields in the soft light of the midsummer night.
She was amazed by that light, but at the same time she stood so still that one could barely spot her there in the middle of the white clovers. The crown and leaves of the anadem, which she had colored herself, seemed to suit her disguise well too. Only her white dress was still like an empty canvas.
Then the midsummer night turned into an early morning. Those mesmerizing sunbeams were already welcoming the Midsummers Day. And suddenly shadows of the clovers were gently dancing on her white dress!
And she dreamed of a magical floral dress that could capture that white night… as well as those moments of the midsummer morning.
Which of the clover flowers do you think she preferred? Flowers of the white clover - or the red clover?
(You can leave your comment on Sandcastle.fi Instagram page).
And I wandered in the clover fields, where those sweetest clovers grow…
But I didn´t find her there anymore.
When you daydream way too long, and it seems like you would be almost procrastinating! And little by little the character is getting more frustrated…
And then during the midsummer night it happened! She messed up all those clovers – and escaped!
Or maybe she didn´t like my floral designs? I think she also must have used my colored pencils for coloring herself - and then she even tore herself away from the sketchbook!
Well, during the midsummer there can happen so many strange things...
But is there beauty in that chaos?
She left me contemplating a quote by Carl Jung,
"In all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order"
When she was just a sketch...
She dreamed of the midsummer night and those sweetest wildflowers. ?
When she escaped from the sketchbook during the midsummer night,
there was that magical light...
Happy Midsummer´s Eve!
Above is a close-up from the older Midsummer Eve illustration.
Midsummer Eve... That mythic lady you could meet only during the Midsummer´s Eve. And today she is here again!
Wishing you all midsummer miracles and happy moments!
Collection of mythical floral dress designs with Finnish wildflowers. Midsummer Dryad, Naiad, Eve or Love Spell... which one is your favourite? 1,2,3 or 4? Join the discussion on social media and comment your favorite... or just stop by and make an adventure into the world of Finnish wildflowers.
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Today the fourth mystic maiden is joining the Midsummer Eve celebrations…
She is whispering midsummer love spells. Those ancient magic words.
It is the Midsummer again.
Pink dreams, heart-shaped clouds.
Secrets of the midnight sun and the magic of the wildflowers
- Hmm, maybe also a touch of purple…?
But could that Midsummer spell, indeed,
even make those centaurea flowers to bloom?
Magical Midsummer Eve to you all <3
Above is the sketch of the Finnish "Midsummer Love Spell". This illustration was once designed together with the Midsummer Dryad, Midsummer Eve and Midsummer Naiad. Can you still remember those mythic characters from the previous blog posts? Together they are creating a series of mythic midsummer illustrations.
All these illustrations were inspired by the Finnish midsummer mythology and mythical creatures from the Finnish folklore. And of course the amazing Finnish nature, wildflowers and midsummer magic were giving me a lot of inspiration on the way.
For the fourth “Midsummer Love spell” character especially the pink, magenta and purple colors helped to create a unique theme. And also for this illustration I collected the wonderful Finnish wildflowers to match the selected theme colors. Stunning pink and magenta colors were guiding the way when searching the right flowers for the floral dress. Especially the red campion just had that right mood for the midsummer love spell theme...
Red campion flowers were a lovely source of inspiration when creating this illustration with the midsummer love spell theme.
And how magical, suddenly everywhere seemed to be heart-shaped reminders of the romantic theme.
In this illustration I wanted to emphasize the mystic sense of the midsummer and love spells. For that reason the chosen flowers for this illustration were red campion, red clover and fireweed. The selected wildflowers had romantic pink tones, but especially the purple hues gave that needed strength, saturation and mystic sense to the illustration.
The flowers of the fireweed even looked like small magical spells themselves...
There is something mystic in the Nordic white night. Being surrounded of that magical glow is like experiencing the fairy-tail dream world, but fully awake. In this illustration that dreamy and magical midsummer glow influenced again the color choices. I emphasized the cooler pink shades in characters skin color. And also the white color in the highlights was a way to describe that magical moment in Finland when night and day is merging together during the Midsummer Eve and the night is white.
In this illustration the aim was to combine that sense of Nordic white night, the pink romantic nuance and on the other hand the strong and colorful vision of the Midsummer love spells.
Those purple colors in the wildflowers emphasized the theme of Midsummer love spells. The color balance was adjusted with some violet tones from the Centaurea flowers (knapweed).
And how the Centaurea flowers were already blooming right during the summer solstice...? Well, that must be midsummer magic! The myths and stories about a spell that could make the flowers grow faster also gave an extra twist to this midsummer love spell themed illustration.
When creating the illustration the green leaves of the red clover were reminding of the growth and midsummer verdancy, and eventually helped to unite all the ideas into a one blooming floral dress.
Overall wildflowers have a fascinating role especially in Finnish Midsummer celebrations. The traditions of Midsummer Eve go way back to olden times. Old beliefs have included traditions of midsummer spells, like for example collecting different wildflowers and placing them under a pillow for a night. Those wildflowers had then a special meaning and for example consequences to dreams.
If you want to read more about the midsummer love spells, check out the Visit Finland link below to the fascinating article and the beautiful video that tells more about different love spells from Finnish folklore. And of course the amazing site is visual experience for everyone interested of Finland.
So, what does it mean to collect those different Finnish wildflowers – or roll in dew…?
visitfinland.com/white-night-magic/
Today she is having wildflowers in her hair. And the golden crown is just like the midnight sun.
She is wandering through the meadow and suddenly all the wildflowers are blooming on her dress.
That mystic sense of midsummer, all those voices like ancient spells.
Is this real - or just a midsummer night’s unbelievable dream?
On the sky there are dreams written in pink shades.
Light blue stays awake when the bonfires light up the sky.
Mesmerizing flames are celebrating the Midsummer Eve
- and warm flaming colors are merging with the cool shades of the nature.
That mystic dance captures all those midsummer colors in one moment.
Tonight there is no darkness, only white night.
Joy of existence... It is Midsummer´s Eve.
And just right before the dawn the Nordic night is pure and white.
Tomorrow the day will be already shorter and slowly all those vivid colors
will turn into yesterday´s memories.
But the sun stays in the sky… Was it real?
Magical Midsummer Eve to you all <3
Above is the Finnish "Midsummer Eve". She was once designed together with the Midsummer Dryad and Naiad, the two characters from previous post. Stronger colors of yellow and magenta created unique flaming theme for this third character. Together the Midsummer Eve, the Dryad and the Naiad are creating a series of mythic midsummer illustrations.
All these illustrations were inspired by the Finnish midsummer mythology and mythical creatures from the Finnish folklore. And of course again the amazing Finnish nature, wildflowers and midsummer magic were giving me a lot of inspiration on the way.
For this Midsummer Eve illustration I collected wildflowers that were blooming in Finland right during the Midnight sun. Midnight sun is celebrated on the weekend after 19th june and the Midsummer Eve is called “juhannusaatto” in Finnish.
In Midsummer Eve the bonfires are lit up to celebrate the midsummer. Midsummer bonfire is called “juhannuskokko” in Finnish. I designed this third fairy-tail styled character to have a more flaming appearance resembling that way also those bonfires in Finland during the Midsummer Eve celebrations.
Bonfires are very common in the Midsummer Eve celebrations and the bonfires are usually burned at lakesides and by the sea. For that reason there´s also hints of light blue in the illustration, bringing that Finnish Lakeland feeling next to the burning vivid colors.
Close to midnight on Midsummer Eve the bonfires are ceremoniously lit all over Finland...
And that magical dance of the flames in the bonfire is mesmerizing…
Also in the drawing the strong yellows and orange colors emphasize that atmosphere near the midsummer bonfires. For that same reason I also chose wildflowers in vivid colors of yellow and magenta when completing the floral dress. The magenta color from fireweed and red campion (silene dioica) was also a way to unite the magenta colored wildflowers to the drawing character´s lighter pink skin tones. Those pink shades also describe the midsummer sunsets and midsummer evenings in Finland.
In this illustration I wanted to capture all the flaming and vivid colors of the Midsummer Eve… but at the same time so that they would be in a harmony with the more subtle and cooler colors from the Finnish nature and Lakeland. As a result the illustration became a celebration for the Finnish Midsummer Eve.
There is something mystic in the Nordic white night. Being surrounded of that magical glow is like experiencing the fairy-tail dream world, but fully awake. In this third midsummer illustration that dreamy and magical midsummer glow influenced also the color choices. The white added to the otherwise strong warm colors was a way to describe that magical moment in Finland when night and day is merging during the Midsummer Eve… That enchanted moment when the night is white. Therefore also in the drawing there is that pure white in the center and in the highlights. Just like the Nordic white night would give that finishing touch to the entire illustration.
Midsummer decorations are a way to celebrate the beginning of the summer. An old tradition during Midsummer is also to decorate houses and doorways with young birch trees and flowers. That old belief also found a way to the illustration, not only through all the wildflowers in the flower dress, but also when some birch leaves were added to the floral dress design. The birch leaves in the bottom of the character´s floral dress brought that extra Finnish twist into this illustration.
Also the nature revealed few amazing miracles when creating this dress. Below is one detail of a small miracle during the creative process. Nature is a great artist - and we are surrounded of all those miracles and artworks. Even when the small Finnish birch leaf couldn´t decide whether to grow separately - or stay united, the result is simply beautiful…
Over time those leaves grown together became also a symbol of these midsummer illustrations. A serie of illustrations, that eventually grows from individual pieces into one story.
Old traditions about birch leaves and midsummer decorations were added to this illustration also in the form of the miniature green leaves and flowers drawn to the character´s hair. The impression of flowers in the hair reminds of all those verdant and flower-rich Midsummer Eve decorations.
Overall wildflowers have a fascinating role especially in Finnish Midsummer celebrations. The traditions of Midsummer Eve go way back to olden times. Old beliefs have included traditions of midsummer spells, like for example collecting different wildflowers and placing them under a pillow for a night. Those wildflowers had then a special meaning and for example consequences to dreams.
If you want to read more about the midsummer love spells, check out the link below to the fascinating article and video that tells more about different love spells from Finnish folklore. And of course the amazing site is visual experience for everyone interested of Finland.
So, what does it mean to collect those different Finnish wildflowers – or even roll in dew…?
visitfinland.com/white-night-magic/
A path through the forest is leading to the forgotten pond.
Wildflowers are guardians of the secret way.
Myosotis, tufted vetch, wood cranesbill… Shades of blue and purple.
All the bluish flowers are whispering that in the midsummer night
you might see the Naiad near the pond – or even in the stream whirls of the forest creek.
But what if the Naiad is just a reflection on the water?
A mirage in the midsummer´s night, dancing with the water sparkles... and then diving just before the dawn.
Or could you see that water spirit on a serene lake in a magical land of a thousand lakes?
And would you then follow her steps through the Nordic white night
into the mist of a midsummer morning?
During the midnight sun everything is possible, and the Naiad has been here too…
The Midsummer Naiad (above) was once designed as a sister to the Midsummer Dryad (below). Do you still remember her from last year´s midsummer article?
Initially these mythic fairy-tale styled characters were inspired by the Finnish midsummer mythology and
mythical creatures from the Finnish folklore. Visions of the Finnish Midsummer Dryad and Naiad started then to develop in my sketchbook, based on the old myths and transforming into new ideas and illustrations.
Over the years the beauty of the pure nature in Finland has been a great source of inspiration for my illustrations. In these midsummer illustrations the Finnish nature, lakes and wildflowers played again an important role.
First I drew the fairy-tale styled characters and then I created the flower dresses by completing them with real Finnish wildflowers. I chose wildflowers that were blooming in Finland right in the summer solstice. The Midsummer Dryad and Naiad had then their unique blooming floral dresses designed into the forest and water themes. Together the shades of blue and green tell a story of the enchanting Midsummer in Finland.
I collected particularly bluish wildflowers when completing the floral dress for the Midsummer Naiad. Tufted vetch became like waves on her dress, and myosotis were giving the fresh light blue touch to the entire flower dress. I wanted to emphasize fresh blues also in the drawing and describe that way the pure clean waters in Finland. Cool shades of blue along with the white reminding of the sky and lakes – was a way to add also the Finnish Lakeland twist to the traditional water nymph theme. The hints of green and purple helped to make the entire illustration more diverse, but at the same time those colors also illustrate the reflections on a serene lake and midsummernight´s shadows. Especially the strong purple from the wood cranesbill created that mystic sense of magical midsummer to the blue dress of the Naiad.
It is interesting to ponder how mental images and ideas are forming. Sometimes it is all about certain feeling or memory, a view that was once forgotten, inspiring color, music - or even a voice. In this case the Finnish language and certain words had just the right magical atmosphere when designing these midsummer illustrations. Some Finnish words seem to create visions by themselves.
I know many of you are reading this in English and usually also my illustrations are named only in English. But in this case some of the words in Finnish just have that mythic poetry in them… Like for example the Finnish word “vedenneito” that can be translated as a water nymph or naiad, although the Finnish mythology shapes that concept uniquely. The word “vesi” means water and “neito” translates as a maiden.
The entire Finnish word “vedenneito” by itself sounds already like a calmly flowing stream in a forest creek, where syllables are like a chain of small bridges over the water. You can almost see that mythical water spirit while listening to that softly flowing word “vedenneito” in Finnish. Some words are like music, like mythic whispers... Maybe those same ancient stories that gentle lapping waves are telling on a lake in midsummer evenings.
The official translation for naiad in Finnish is “aallotar” and that word also waves like water. The word “aalto” itself translates as a wave. Based on that flowing Finnish word also my Midsummer Naiad eventually had waves on her hair. As a result elements from several mythic words were that way united in one illustration.
If you want to listen how the Finnish words are pronounced, you will find them below linked to Forvo. As a largest online pronunciation dictionary in the world Forvo is a treasure to all you interested in different languages. Those of you who work or travel abroad – or study new language, may find the site useful. And of course Forvo inspires all you, who just want to cherish and enjoy the beauty of your own native language.
The Finnish mythic words pronounced in Forvo:
(words below are opening in a new window, in Forvo press the blue play button for listening)
Aallotar (naiad)
Vedenneito (water nymph, naiad)
Metsänneito (dryad)
Keijukainen (fairy)
Illustration can be a very complex process that can include many different views – from myths to words. Even certain voice or pronunciation can shape visions and create new ideas. At best the illustrator can be completely engrossed in that creative process, falling into the world of concepts and ideas. And the Finnish mythic midsummer is a very inspiring subject to illustrate.
Midsummer in Finland is made of old mythic traditions, tranquil lakes, beautiful wildflowers - and unforgettable moments. But above all, it is the magical outcome of our own personal visions and experiences… We can all create magic.
I wish magical midsummer moments and miracles to all Sandcastle.fi blog readers!
I´m enchanted by the magical midsummer in Finland.
Trying to capture those fleeting moments when miracles can happen.
Was it a dryad...? Midnight sun even decorated her dress with the wildflowers.
Magical Midsummer Eve to all you readers!
May the midnight sun bring you light and joy <3
Magical Midsummer Eve to all of you! May the midnight sun bring you light and joy <3 Spending the fairy-tale Midsummer in Finland… and collecting all the summer colors to my sketchbook as a memory.
And below close-ups from the fairy drawing (straight from the sketchbook).
