High on a ladder in a Grand Château, amongst a sparkling crystal chandelier and the cascading wisteria and ivy that weaves its way through the large wooden doors, stands Rapunzel.
Although traditionally famous for her golden locks, in my imagination she is a raven-haired beauty, resplendent in a cascading confection of ruffled pink Giambattista Valli tulle.

As a child I had a curious fascination with the story of Rapunzel. While, to a young girl, that mane of glorious hair is the epitome of fairy tale fantasy, the original story is quite sinister - especially the end that sees the Prince blinded by the jealous witch. There was definitely always something a little bit frightening about it, but it captured me none-the-less.
My interpretation focuses on the fashionably-glamorous side of the woman at the heart of the tale rather than the twisted roots of the original.

Fun fact - I started this illustration almost 6 months ago...which is CRAZY. I had almost started to lose track of how long it had been taking me to complete it.
I don't know if it was the minute details, or the constant stopping-and-starting between client projects. As most creatives would understand, you can sometimes lose the enthusiasm for something when it starts to becomes a bit stagnant. But, little by little, I pressed on and finally - I finished! My Mount Everest. I have to say that I'm so glad I kept going as I love how she turned out, and I feel a real sense of accomplishment with this piece. (Although I may not do anything quite so detailed for a while...)
She is the latest in my storybook series, and available in my store now HERE.
I hope you love her as much as I do!

View more Rapunzel-style inspiration below via some of my favourites:

Kate Moss by Alasdair McLellan, Another Magazine, 2016

Magdalena Jasek by Maurizio Bavutti, Harper's Bazaar China, 2015