Langston Hughes Poetry Book
Illustration
For this project, we were to select a poet and one of their poems, then illustrate a cover and spread using wet media.
I chose the poem Harlem by Langston Hughes. Harlem describes the consequences of unfulfilled dreams, specifically in the context of Black life in America. The poem is filled with feelings of tension, frustration, and unrest at the idea of denied aspirations. I used watercolor to illustrate the cover and spread.
Maya Angelou Poetry Book
Illustration
I expanded this project by designing a cover and spread for Maya Angelou’s poem titled Touched By An Angel.
In the poem, Angelou acknowledges that we often live in fear of vulnerability, loss, and pain, which is why I wanted the cover to feel energized but contained–like love with nowhere to go because of the fear that holds us back.
At the poem’s end, Angelou describes the freedom that comes with letting go of our fears and allowing ourselves to fully love and be loved. I wanted the spread to feel like a release, a calmness, like being set free–which is how it felt reading this poem.
