Kristin's Slovakia Art!

Vitajte! Here is a selection of Slovak folk art I have illustrated. I started drawing folk art back in 1998, when I was 15, and there are pieces up here that I've drawn since them. I update this page fairly frequently, so come back often!

• Girl in Abelova kroj - (Watercolor, watercolor colored pencils, and ballpoint pen on Strathmore sketch paper-- 5/30/98) I've learned something from this piece: watercolors are not for use on regular sketch paper. This work has warped horribly, but then again, I've never known much about watercolor because it is, conveniently, my worst medium. I'm surprised this piece turned out as good as it did, actually...

• Back view of girl in folk dress - (Pencil on Strathmore sketch paper-- 7/2/98) This is just a sketch, and quite a hasty one, really. But the way the girl is posed really speaks to me. Maybe she's dancing...? Oh, note the wolf's teeth on the hem of the skirt; that was to protect the wearer.

• Back view of girl in a Turkish headdress - (Pencil on Strathmore sketch paper-- 7/2/98) Ribbons are always fun to draw. I think that drawing ribbons so much has helped me render fabric better, especially in pencil. Hmmm.... her outfit is kind of drab, but that was intentional. Her shoes are the leather ones with ties that wrap around the ankles. They almost look like slippers!

• Detvan man - (Pencil on Strathmore sketch paper-- 7/11/98) The Detvans have always been a source of entertainment for me when I go to Slovakia. They jump so high and do these dances that make you want to get up there and act crazy with them! I tried to emulate the designs that are embroidered on the Detvans' sleeves and pants, and I think I did a pretty good job.

• Blanciar (Shepherd's Pin) - (Pencil on Strathmore sketch paper-- 7/18/98) I think I did this one right before I was about to go home from Slovakia in 1998. That was the year I cleaned up on shepherd's pins; this specific one now hangs over my bed.

• Dancing Couple - (Pencil on Strathmore sketch paper-- 8/14/98) Guess where I drew this? No, not Slovakia, not at home... in Yosemite, California. I went on a 7 mile backpacking trip, and of course, I took my sketchbook with me and drew this. I think it looks like Trencin kroj. Maybe it's not exact; I didn't happen to have a kroj map with me at 10,300 feet above sea level and 3,000 miles away from home.

• Detvan statue - (Pencil on Strathmore sketch paper-- 7/8/99) This statue is in the Slovak National Museum in Martin. I think it's cast-bronze. Anyway, it depicts a Detvan playing his fujara. Last year I decided to sketch it, and here's the result! I had to make the contrast better on the scanner though, because for some reason, I sketched it really light.

• Slovak designs - (Gel pens from Slovakia on Strathmore sketch paper-- 7/14/99) I drew this picture in Kosice, and it took me about two hours because needless to say, pens give a much thinnner line than markers do. To get the circles of the pomegranate so perfect, I simply put my room key with its huge round keychain attached down on the paper and traced around it. Kind of innovative... I thought so anyway.

• Girl in Moravian looking kroj - (Gel pens, Derwent watercolor colored pencils on Strathmore sketch paper-- 11/17/00) This file is a bit bigger because I was very exact on the designs, and I wanted you to be able to see them. I started this one while I was in math class, then it continued over to English, then physics (yuck). When I got home, I colored it. I think she looks very spirited. There's something in her that reminds me of me. That could be why I made the eyes blue.

• Girl in detailed western Slovak kroj, a.k.a. Becki's wedding present - (Derwent watercolor colored pencils, black gel pen on Bristol board-- 11/25/00) This is what I made for my friend Becki's wedding present. Becki just recently got married to a nice guy named Rastislav, who is from Slovakia. They are both part of the local Slovak folk group in Ohio, so I thought they would enjoy a present like this instead of a blender, or a toaster, or the three teapots they got. =) This file is much bigger than the others because there is an EXTENSIVE amount of detail. That and, well, it's done on 11x14 Bristol board, and my scanner is only 8.5x11". So, her boots got a little cut off. But in the real picture, she's all there!

• Couple Dancing on Detva Stage - (Prismacolor Colored Pencils on Bristol Board-- 1/29/01) WOW this piece took a long time. I used four references, including some antique books I found for 50 cents in the corner of bookstores. I made the girl western-looking, hence all the pretty shapes and bright colors. I gave the guy blue eyes because that's the way it should be, in my opinion. =) I like the way his sheepskin vest came out. If you've ever been to Detva, you know that they have huge sun motifs painted on these sort of "roofs" that sit on the stage. I tried to emulate that, as well as the huge Pol'ana hills in the background.

• Fujara Player - (Derwent Watercolor Pencils and Acrylic Paint on Bristol Board-- 2/1/01) I did this one entirely at home, whereas the previous one was done solely in art class. A long time ago, I made a sketch of the fujara player statue in the National Museum in Martin. I took the sketch, blew it up on my scanner, printed it, traced it, and colored it. I like the folds of the pants. What I don't like is that he looks like he's standing on a mountain range. I put some paint in there to make them look more like rocks with moss, but, to quote my friend Albert, "Nope. Mountains with trees." Oh well. Maybe next time.

• Slovak Girl Sketch - (Fine Black Ballpoint Pen on Notebook Paper-- 10/25/01) Boredom set in in philosophy Reason & Culture class as we were discussing Eva Hoffman's book Lost in Translation. Because the whole thing was about her life in Poland, I tried to make her a Polish girl. But I got so wrapped up in the designs that she looks Moravian-Slovak. Eh. I'm not Polish; it's forgivable. Do pardon my notes if they impede the sketch in any way.

• Twirling Girl Sketch - (Medium Black Ballpoint Pen on a Lakeland Community College Flier-- 11/3/01) I was running the sale booth at the 2001 Czechoslovak Geneaological Conference in Pittsburgh when I drew this. We had to charge tax, so that is some of my scratchwork in the background. I had seen folk dancers the night before, and their skirts twirled like this, so it's just a little study of perspective. For a sketch, I think it has lots of personality.

• Slovak Embroidery Piece Sketch - (Felt-tip pen, Derwent Watercolor Pencils-- 5/27/02) I did this in preparation for a real embroidery piece. I can't seem to find ANY embroidery patterns anywhere! They're all cross-stitch. So, I did this sketch and colored it in. Check out the link below to the actual finished piece!

• Slovak Embroidery Piece - (Linen, air-and-water-erasable pen, metallic and regular embroidery floss-- 6/02) Measurements: 13.5" x 20" (34.3 cm x 50.1 cm) I worked night and day on this thing and actually finished it in 2 weeks, a record, I think. I am planning to put a Slovak saying in the middle: "Lepšie s mudrim plaka, jak s blaznom tancova." I got it from here, and I really like the meaning. Thanks you very much to the "Wisconsin Slovak." When I finally get it done, I'll post the finished product up here!

I really hope you enjoyed what you saw! Thank you for visiting!