DEVELOPING VISUAL NARRATIVES

ANTHOLOGY MINI PROJECT

From the initial workshops introducing me to the different texts, I found that the necrosmologies folder stood out the most as it was a very dark, industrial world which is vastly different from the work I'd just completed and I fancied a change. Once again I decided to work with Izzy Molly and Xena for this mini brief, as we all wanted to do the same folder of texts and we could efficiently work together for such a short deadline. 

I personally decided to illustrate the story ‘Bone fishing’ although it was one of the shorter pieces I thought that there were lots of interesting details that inspired me to want to draw from it. On further discussion with the group we decided that we wanted to focus on the landscapes and the world building aspects of the texts as they’re all set in different locations near each other. We could attempt to make a concertina zine that folded off into each story to unravel Cartwright’s world. 

 

^ Molly's Sketch 

We also came up with some base rules for our zine to keep the visual language consistent (although we did also want our individual styles to shine through):

• Black and white- themes around shadows and light​
• Some texturey bits​
• Non typical page formats e.g pulls up/down, spirals, bends

 

^Sketchbook 

 

^Traditional art experimentation

For my 'non typical' spreads I thought my story would work best as a vertical landscape starting at the 'bone sea' and working its way toward the factory with smoke billowing into the sky and background. It is a continuous drawing but I wanted each panel to work separately so drew them one by one, this made the perspective a bit wacky but I think that only works to add to the imagined landscape vibe. After some initial experimentation that I didn't really like I switched to planning stuff out on Photoshop, I experimented with using imported textures and messing around with noise and blur and then drawing onto and I actually liked this a lot so decided to use this for my final spreads.

^ Final spreads

Our Zine will have a lot of folds and bit coming off of it so a typical cover wouldn't necessarily hold it together really well so we decided on making a sleeve design. I volunteered to do so, as everyone's style was quite different I thought a simpler cover would be better so did one just focusing on the shape of smoke.

   

^Initial sleeve proposal 

But then after giving our proposal presentation I was inspired to change this to be more material. Laser engraving on to an aluminium sheet and making that into a sleeve seemed like a really cool idea that worked with the industrial landscapes! So I translated this into line work and altered the type into a kind of stencil font so it could be cut out.

^ Before Laser Cutting

MAIN PROJECT

 For the story review workshop I decided to write a blurb for my copy of Wind in the Willows, which was one of my favourite children's book growing up! I reread it in preparation and realised how it wasn't as wholesome as I remembered so thought It would be funny to write the blurb in a contrasting crime style. It's quite a well recognised book so even though I wrote it differently it's obvious that it's still about the Wind in the Willows. 

My Blurb: 

When Mole mistakenly decides to leave his hole at the first turn of spring, he is quickly coerced into joining a group of delinquents. Through his debilitating fear of the creatures that lurk in the Wild Woods, he unwittingly joins a life of crime with an opposing gang led by the nefarious Ratty, the belligerent Badger and worst of them all the notorious fugitive Mr Toad. Mole has no choice but to become a co-conspirator to multiple joyriding offences and a prison break! In this rotten world where corrupt prison guards are rife, and toads can get away with anything, should Mole have stayed home?

I received pretty good feedback from this and realised that there was something there as an idea for a visual narrative. A dark spin on Wind on the Willows where they're all gangsters? Combining these two visual cultures could be interesting!

^My mood boards

The Wind in the Willows was first published in 1908 but I liked the idea of looking at the 60s for inspiration as it is somewhat iconic as an era in crime with the Kray Twins and the dramatic rise in overall cases. It also has lots of strong imagery that I could reference.

^Initial sketchbook pages

I had a lot of different ideas on ways I could construct this version of Wind in the Willows into a new narrative but ended up really liking the idea of making masks and costumes of the characters and using environments around me to capture the setting, possibly in a film noir style short video or in a series of photographs for a book. 

MORE RESEARCH

ARTIST INSPIRATION!

 

^ David Hughes- Illustrator. I really like his animal drawings, there's something anthropomorphic and eerie about them- I'd like my masks to be kinda scary and more uncanny than the expected.

^David Lynch- Rabbits. A surrealist short film featuring these human like rabbits, very eerie and strange with random audience laughter and scrambled dialogue. The masked figures and normal clothes is kind of similar to what I have in mind. 

^The Company of Wolves. Horror Film directed by Neil Jordan. Very cool practical effects! Love the contrast between the wolf heads and the set. 

^ The Wicker Man (1973). This horror film features loads of different animal masks- possible inspiration!?

^Kristen Egan- mixed media artist specialising in masks. Super surreal combining patterns with nature, I really like the textures and combination of materials she's used to make them.