Ravens

One part of the Spirit Animal project requires us to produce a 3D form of one of our characters. I had some experience with model making over a couple of projects during first year, with clay, paper and textiles, though I decided in this case to try something a little different. Rather than attempt to produce the full physical form of a raven (which would be more than a little complicated), I chose instead to create a relief of sorts, using layered and arranged shreds of material. I used patterned black lace, providing texture to an otherwise plain silhouette form.

The following are some of my preliminary research photos of a raven, taken at the Tower of London. The photos are all of the same raven. Notice the variety in forms and texture resulting from a change in pose, or the fluffing of feathers.

Illustrating The Spirit Animal Story

My initial plan for the images related to the story was to produce detailed drawings like that in the banner, though I chose to branch away from this idea in favour of a more experimental, stylised series of pieces. The almost silhouette-like appearance of ravens lent itself well to the manner in which I chose to depict them, using black ink over water-coloured backgrounds. I decided to carry forward the ink-splattered aesthetic of the film project, as well as the use of red, drawing inspiration from the '300' comics / graphic novel by Frank Miller and Lynn Varley. This aspect is especially evident in the first image featured. These are four of my illustrated scenes:

Overall, I was pleased with the outcome for a style I had never previously tried, though the ink and brush choice proved to yield less precise forms than I would have liked. The results could perhaps be considered to be a quirk of the style, although it definitely compromised on consistency of form through some of my images. I have been looking into alternatives / means of overcoming this particular issue. 

The inspiration cited: 

Spirit Animal Project

My second task over the Summer was to choose a 'Spirit Animal' I felt represented me, and then create a life story for my character from which to create illustrations. I chose a Raven- a creature permanently shrouded in black, surrounded by dark associations and a seemingly-ominous presence... though widely misunderstood, social, loyal, curious and creative. Here's the story:

  "It began in darkness. My world cracked, and fell apart… revealing a bigger world. That was how I was born. The dazing blur that I suddenly found to be my home was not an inviting one. Screeches pierced the cold air, shadows soaring above, and clashing. One of the shapes, fending off the other, took a dive before landing hard before me. My eyes began to focus, the imposing silhouette took form. I recall looking upon my father’s face for the first time, and seeing myself reflected in those glinting black eyes, set like jewels into his scarred face. Seconds later, he took flight again to intercept another bird of equally powerful appearance, bearing down on the nest at speed. The two collided, and with a cutting shriek, the attacker fell from course, tumbling through branches. My father followed the defeated bird down and out of sight, before all fell silent. I looked around the nest, to see only shattered pale shell, and crimson. This was my welcome to the world.

  Life in the woods was difficult from the beginning, especially as a young raven. Trying to eat (while avoiding being eaten) was a constant struggle. A lesson I learned very quickly, was that wherever there is life there is death, and that wherever there is death, there is life. My father taught me to follow the wolves that prowled the forest, in order to find food- or if I were to find a fresh deer carcass, to guide the wolves to it, so that they could make a start on tearing it open. It was a mutually-beneficial relationship. You had to co-exist to exist. As well as our taste in meat, we shared something else in common with the ghost-like wolves; the humans hated us both. My mother was killed by humans, looking for food in the nearby village. My first encounter with them involved being chased from a tower with fire… I never understood why they hated us, but the feeling was reciprocated.

  Something I’ll always remember happened around my early adulthood: I recall being awoken one autumn morning to the sound of a distant booming, echoing through the trees. I took flight towards the sounds, in order to investigate; it was unlike anything I had ever heard in all my life. Gliding over the thick carpet of trees, the sound grew in intensity, the pounding sound resonating in me. The forest beneath me gave way to a steep drop, yielding a view I could never have imagined. The plain that swept through the valley contained thousands of humans in two momentous masses, one coming to a halt some distance from the other. The scene resembled a sea of silver, parted down the middle, though this was soon to change- the deafening beat ceased, leaving a few seconds of silence before a chorus of horns filled the air. The two walls of steel began to close in, covering the middle ground in seconds and filling the void with an immense clash. Other ravens had told tales of the conflicts of man, but those of us who had not yet witnessed such a spectacle believed them to be mere legends. I landed atop of a dead tree on an outcrop, where others had gathered to view the chaos unfolding below. Fighting for your life was always a part of nature, but never on a scale so vast, for reasons so senseless… something I couldn’t comprehend back then. None of us could. For hours, the sounds of battle echoed through the valley, until eventually the fighting had ran its course. Those that still stood had reformed, leaving behind the aftermath. From above, the scene resembled a macabre work of art; a relief of bodies that lay as they fell, many entangled as if frozen in their mortal struggle. I flew down to inspect all that remained, landing on a torn crimson banner. I did not know who had won, or for what cause- The pursuits and troubles of men never concerned us. All that appeared to us now were two fallen armies, united as one by death. The humans’ armoured shells glinted in the sun, blood staining the golden leaf-clad earth. I settled on a body that lay with a large wound… nothing sacred, just meat.

  Much has happened since then, and in my old age I have come to realise that there is more to this life than mere survival. A few years ago, I found myself severely injured after fighting to defend my new-found territory in the field belonging to some humans. I was attacked by several younger ravens, who came from nowhere, and disappeared as fast as they had struck when a loud crash rang out. I tried to take flight to escape whatever had startled the others, but my right wing was broken. Before long, a man wielding a threatening tool (much like those I remember from the great battle) approached me from the nearby stone building; there was nothing I could do except prepare for my inevitable death, as the figure loomed over, eclipsing the glaring sun. I found myself in the inescapable grip of the human, as he looked at me… I awaited my fate with total resignation to the end, though death never came. He carried me to his home, where he set me down, outstretching my torn wing. It soon became clear that this man was actually trying to help me, to my total disbelief. The humans hated us! Why was this man helping ME? All I had ever known of the humans was hostility and violence- to us and each other. My wound was cleaned up, and pieces of meat were left for me by the window of his small dwelling. Days passed, and the man’s home became mine, with all the food I could need- and a companion. Though we could not communicate in each other’s way of doing so, there was a mutual unspoken understanding we shared. I would accompany him around the field, as he went about his own food foraging, and watch as he gathered wood for the fire- Something only humans had mastered. Eventually, I was able to help collect branches too. There was no doubt in my mind by then that the humans were not an evil race as I had once believed, and that the hostility between us was completely senseless. I had hope that perhaps one day, ravens and people could co-exist without fear and animosity, just as we did. My resentment for the whole of mankind for the death of my mother had long since dissipated, after my later experiences.

  My wing had healed within the year, but I never left my human friend; Loyalty is as important as compassion. Since that life-changing experience, I felt a sense of peace had been restored to my previously-chaotic, hostile world."

Summer Film Project

Our initial task over the Summer was to select a film with interesting and well-arranged visuals, and create 18 A5 images from it. The brief suggested choosing one frame, then producing 17 other consecutive frames from this- though I chose to alter my approach, and select different scenes from throughout the film. I preferred this approach simply due to the freedom it allowed me, giving better variety in the produced images. My selected film was Quentin Tarantino's 'Inglourious Basterds', which I picked for it's trademark drama and over-the-top intensity; plenty of good expressive close-up shots of characters, and comic book-like action scenes. For my images, I decided a comic-like series of sketches would be befitting of the nature of the content. I chose to draw in Biro, with no colour aside from bold red and black ink, with red being especially dominant in the film. I feel this style gives the desired visual impact, though my sketches are of mixed quality when it came to faces- an unfortunate difference between shading with Biros and pencils, is that you cannot control as finely (or alter) the subtlety of the necessary hatching and cross-hatching with a Biro. Because of this, any imperfections just had to be made the best of, with shading often looking too harsh. I'm definitely more comfortable using pencils, though I enjoy drawing with pens too. These examples are among my favourites, though the piece featuring Zoller lacks the level of likeness I believe I achieved with the other three shown.

Work in progress...

...

...and finished.

Bridget Von Hammersmark

Shosanna Dreyfus

Hans Landa

Fredrich Zoller

Victoria and Albert Museum

One of the museums I visited while in London was the V&A Museum- I'd been there before, but it's one of my favourites, and I never get tired of going (It is after all, the self-proclaimed 'World's greatest museum of art and design'). I love the sheer variety in the collection of the V&A, the historical nature of much of it's contents, and the fact that the majority of it is what could be called 'applied art'- from jewellery to ornate armour, to giant abstracted architectural elements. On my previous visit there, I made the realisation that I have a great affinity to traditional sculpture; the human form is interesting yet challenging to draw, as are expressions and gestures, and so I have a great respect for scultpure as a medium. When drawing, you have to be concerned with accuracy and quality in merely one dimension, whereas a statue is almost like drawing something from all sides. I find that thought to be pretty amazing, when looking at examples of this physical medium. That aside, sculptures also provide great potential for drawing reference, not only due to their accuracy (though indeed sometimes exaggerated or idealised), but the carefully-considered and often dynamic poses. These factors in combination with dramatic display lighting yield pretty striking images. I hope to refer back to these for sketches and drawings at some point. Many of the statues in the galleries of the V&A were also interesting to me on a conceptual level; classical (and neoclassical) sculptures often used figures to personify traits, emotions or ideas. An example is the last featured image, of a woman representing 'Valour'- the complete statue depicts her crushing a man, embodying cowardice. ('Valour and Cowardice' -Alfred Stevens)

London: Urban Photography

Visiting London was extremely productive for photography, and that's not even counting the Museums! I love photographing urban environments, from cutting-edge architecture to urban decay. Such things have yet to feature in my recent illustration work in any direct way, probably because of my inexperience with perspective drawing, though it definitely captures my interest. Here are the highlights:

Summer Adventures

To say this summer has been great would be an understatement, and though I was much less productive than I had originally hoped to be in regards to drawing, I've had an unparalleled run of opportunities for photography. The first of those was a holiday to Barbados. I love photographing nature, and the wildlife there kept me occupied with my macro lens. Here's a selection of those: