The very first illustration for Bella's Garden is the Pansy, whose meaning, in the Victorian Language of Flowers is exactly this: "you are in my thoughts". the word "Pansy" relates to the French word "Pensée" ("thought").
Here I dressed Bella a like a Cicely Mary Barker's Flower Fairy, whose books really made a mark on my childhood and adolescence. The whole atmosphere of this artwork is a bit kitsch and very, very colourful. I designed the dress from several petals of pansies. Also added a layer of some pretty glittery stars (she is a fairy in the end!), enhanced her shiny eyes and created fancy sparkly shoes just for her. I ended it up by making the corners covered in stained glass pansies over a lateral frame of Art-Déco periwinkle tiles. The purple background is a mix of blended William Morris's patterns.
