23/02/21 update

 I have finished two further illustrations: hibiscus and violet.

The hibiscus illustration wa primarily insipred my Kali, a goddess in Hinduism. From what I read about her, she is portrayed as a being of chaos. However, in othe instances she is a divine mother who blesses people with one hand and deals punishment with the other. I found the contrast to be interesting so I made my character fairly masculine in a very feminine environment.

Initial sketches
My first idea was to have her in a gym

First drawing of the composition I went with
The phone charms were repurposed for her earings in the final

Final draft

Finished piece

She is among nature since it felt wrong to keep her inside. She is having a picnic with dried hibiscus and hibiscus tea. On the embroidery there is the golden sun bird which is the insipiration for the emblem of Chengdu which is city in China. It is nicknamed the hibiscus city. This originated with Lord Mengchang, an aristocrat in Ancient China, ordered hibiscus trees to be planted along the city walls. His childhood has an inspiration as well since he was raised by a single mother. I wanted to imply that my character was a single mother to the girl on the left. 

The violet illustration was primarily inspired by the violets use as a symbol for lesbianism. This was first established in the poetry of Sappho but popularised by the play The Captive in the 1920s. Additionally, in Greek mythology, both Aphrodite and the Muses have been described as being violet something. Here's the progression of me refining my composition:

I edited the RGB levelsto make it bluer

Finished piece

I awnted her to be a writer as a reference to the Violet Quill, an informal group of gay men writers in the 80s. Violets are used for food and insence hence the tea, cupcake and insence. The instrument is a kithara which is an ancient greek instrument in the same family as the lyre. It is the symbol of the muse Erato whos domain was love poetry. 

My next illustration is based on the sunflower. I still have some reasearch to do but I am ready to begin drawing so that I can finish it on or by thursday.