This exercise was to read a passage from The Daffodil Affair and select information from the content to answer three questions from the coursebook.
I ended up re-reading the passage for each question so that I avoided making assumptions based on my memory of the text.
I built up a clear image in my head, so I decided to also try to make little sketches in the sketchbook to illustrate what was in my head.
I would be doing this exercise over a few days, so I didn't want to lose my train of thought and that mental image.
The next step was to research and build up a reference set. I took about fours hours on the research, as I took to heart the suggestion in the coursebook to be selective. As I had built up such a strong image in my head, I really wanted to select images that fit in with that mental picture. I probably removed 80% of the images I had added to the Pinterest board, to hone in on the qualities of the man in the passage.
Next, I was asked to develop a 'visual brainstorm' based on one word that I felt described the mood I wanted to convey.
I chose 'utility', as the character seemed very matter-of-fact, purposeful and no-nonsense. I tried to build up textures to help me, as well as some patterns. I experimented with using pastels to create texture based on the previous exercise, but I didn't think it would give the right feeling. I had much more success with dry brushing gouache on the paper to get the sense of the utilitarian materials I was going for.
I remembered wearing old, scratchy uniforms when I joined the combined cadet force as a teenager, and this was some of the feeling I wanted to carry across.
While I did the brainstorming, I thought about possible compositions for the final illustration, playing around with some compositions to convey not only the aspects of the main character, but also his surroundings.
I decided to do a study of the character in my sketchbook, to see if I could capture the qualities and emotions that I was looking for. After I had finished the sketch, felt that the face didn't convey enough of the underlying anger. I took some time to refer to the anatomy of the face using a great reference book called Drawing Human Anatomy (Civardi, 2018), and then followed up with Making Comics (McCloud, 2006) which has an amazing section on how the muscles of the face and neck are used for emotions and how to combine them. I made notes on the emotions (and how strong they were) and then worked out how the face needed to change. Time to move onto the final illustration!
I sketched out using a blue pencil, fully intending to fill in all the areas so it wouldn't be seen. In the end, I actually enjoyed it coming through, and left the chair completely. I was happy with the picture from a textural and composition perspective.
However, I felt that some aspects of perspective could be improved. In writing this a little while after finishing the piece, I am happier with the perspective not being perfect; it seems to fit the composition anyway. What I didn't like was how de-saturated it seemed after scanning. So I set about to use software to play with the colours and levels in the piece. I ended up being really happy with the final piece, below.
Think the final piece really works with a slightly more warmer tone - it's still cold enough to convey the feeling of the room sucking out warmth into its utilitarian sterility. I also am really happy with the composition, the negative space allows for text placement, and I think this would work really well as a book cover. I found, as I was doing the illustration, that I had a lot more reference about the man, than I did his environment. I thought about what I needed and researched offices and their equipment at the time. I selected key pieces of reference that I could use for the illustration, and added them to the Pinterest mood board above.
Follow-Up
My tutor noted that there were some challenges in this piece relating to composition and hierarchy. Looking back at this exercise going into assessment, I felt that I could do better. I still stood by some of the composition elements, given that I had designed it with text in mind to balance the image.
I rendered the image in watercolour again but adjusted the composition and perspective to avoid the problems from the earlier image. I changed the wall colour to be more distinctive and added in war-time elements to give a sense of place and time. I'm not sure if I still captured the same sense of emotion in the face. I have been toying with doing some watercolour portraiture, so perhaps that might help?
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