I draw using stippling, which is the process of drawing with tiny dots. This particular illustration took about 60 hours to complete!
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St. Honore is so esteemed among pastry chefs that the Gateau St. Honore is named for him. Creating one involves all aspects of being a pastry chef and it's often used as a test among aspiring pastry chefs. My friend made this one for me!
Some call me patient because I draw using stippling but I'm not. I simply love to draw this way! This is a detail of Honore's face.
If the print is for a baker then it should include a baker, shouldn't it? This little guy's head is approximately the size of the portrait you find on a dime.
This is a representation of the cathedral in Amien, France. This is where Honore was once Bishop. Also, that's a silkworm moth flying over his shoulder. I included it because silkworms love...
Mulberry bushes! It's growing out of the baker's peel he's using as a staff. There's a story that upon hearing that he had been made Bishop of Amiens, Honore's nursemaid stuck her peel into the ground and said that if this were true then her peel would grow into a tree. The peel immediately took root and grew into a mulberry tree!
The full-size print is at scale to the original pen and ink drawing (13" x 19").
The original artwork is drawn at full scale in pen and ink. Here is the original drawing among a variety of finished prints for scale.
I typically enhance prints with 24k gold leaf, and doesn't "le patron des boulangeres" sounds so luxe?
Wax seals always elevate a print. I sculpt the design of the seal myself and only use wax from the J. Herbin company. They've been in business since 1670!