Introducing The Mouseum Collection…
I thought it was about time I started a blog and the launch of a new collection seemed the perfect time to do so. (I was never good at keeping a diary when I was growing up so I hope I will do better with this!)
‘The Mouseum Collection’ is a new range that I have created which currently consists of three designs (with more on the way). The illustrations star some little mice and their love of museums. I have always loved drawing mice, Jill Barklem and Beatrix Potter are two of my illustrator heroines and have been since I was a child. I also have a keen interest in museums from working in the sector as well as being a visitor.
A little while ago I illustrated a design called ‘His Lordship & Her Ladyship’ which features two little mice in 18th century costume on a Sèvres porcelain ship vase, in search of adventure (pictured below left). The design is stocked as greeting cards in Waddesdon Manor’s gift shop. I also drew another design called ‘Dressed like a Duchess’ inspired by the portrait of Georgiana Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire at Chatsworth (pictured below right).
Then one afternoon inspiration struck: mouse + museum = Mouseum. (I do love a pun!) And that is how the idea for the collection started…
Having previously designed the artwork for the Fitzwilliam Museum’s Masterpieces 2020 collection I was excited to illustrate a range of cards inspired by Museum collections. This currently includes classical antiquities, armour and paintings.
I started out by sketching ideas and different components of the designs in my sketchbook which I scanned in. I then tidied up the line work and added more details. For colour I use a mixture of watercolours and digital colouring methods.
The linework for the collection
‘Fit for a Queen’
A mouse has dressed as Queen Elizabeth I (referencing the miniature portrait on the wall beside her) whilst another mouse paints her portrait. I looked at many portraits of Queen Elizabeth I for research rather than basing it on one specific portrait. It wasn’t until later in the drawing process that I realised I had missed the ‘conch veil’ cape from the mouse’s costume. The veils were painted so delicately in the portraits of Elizabeth that sometimes they are difficult to see!
‘Knight in Shining Armour’
A little mouse dressed as a knight stands guard on the shoulder of a suit of armour. From researching various suits of armour I found it fascinating how intricate and elaborate some of the surface pattern designs were on the metal. There were also details which I hadn’t noticed before such as the plume holder on the back of helmets (to hold the feathers for rank identification). I decided I wanted my suit of armour to be patterned instead of plain (which was rather time consuming!)
‘When in Rome’
Two little mice have dressed in Roman costume; one is reclining in a toga wearing a Diadem on her head and the other is dressed as Cupid, standing on an Ionic order column. They are next to a statue of a goddess holding grapes. It was interesting to research Roman sculpture and how it differed from Greek sculpture. Greek sculptures could stand alone whilst Roman sculpture often needed the external support of another object, such as a column or post. It was a bit of a challenge trying to imagine how a mouse would recline on a chair!
You can purchase the cards individually or as a bundle from my shop. If you are interested in stocking some of ‘The Mouseum Collection’ greeting cards wholesale, or perhaps commissioning a bespoke illustration for a museum/ place of heritage please email me at alex@alexandraroseillustration.com (or alexroseillustration@gmail.com).