Fair-weather Friend
Fair-weather Friend, a poem by shannon Tappana. Illustrations and lettering by Cristina Kramp.
Shannon trusted me with this poem a while back. She has been patient as I have felt ready in stages. First to letter it, then to give it the right characters, and finally to give it a background.
I have this tendency of expecting too much and wanting epic success from every project. I first saw the poem as a board book, one verse per page, making it last longer. But, I had to let go of the idea that this was going to be a book. The poem has so much imagery that I wanted to draw! The weather, the conflict, the expressions, and disappointment, so I had to figure out a way to add those in 1 image.
I can’t tell you how many character iterations this poem has had, I definitely got better at drawing with all the practice.
This poem speaks to me because it teaches what friendships are about, what self-respect looks like, and how our actions touch all those around us.
Although the lessons are not only in the content of the poem itself. It was in the process to get to the finished piece that I learned 3 things that I want to keep practicing in my life
Limit the scope: Narrowing the scope for once made the project attainable and easier to understand. to quote Ruth Bader Ginsburg “You can’t have it all, all at once.”
Trust the timing: I pushed and I didn’t like the result. I tried again and I wasn’t feeling it. I didn’t give up and let it rest. Until it felt not only right but appropriate to talk and illustrate about being true friends.
Make space: Unless I make time and space for what I really want to accomplish it only stays as an idea. I love finishing and I wanted this win.
The process was my win.
About the piece
The background goes from sunny to lighting, to the wind, to snow, and rain to encapsulate a few common ways the weather presents itself.
The lettering is informal and playful in the body. Contrasted by the more formal calligraphed title that denotes an important message. But if you look closely the letters in the title are quite bouncy, tying it to the informal style of the body.
We gave one of the girls red hair to match the beautiful shade Shannon's own daughter has. The second girl is black in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Friends, no matter the weather find a way to have fun. Friends that go through life hand in hand, are “polite and kind and not act small.”
As I start 2021 I want to remember the three lessons I learned in this project: to limit my scope, trust in the timing, and make space for what matters. If I can do these I’ll be able to do what I want to do and do it well.
Don’t act small my friends! Gently and kindly we can make an impact. And being a good friend is a great way to do so.
HAPPY 2021!