9. Gelert Final

To create this image, I used pencil so that I would be able to fully focus on detail. I feel the image started well on the left half, but it starts to lose some energy and depth on the right. The box within the image has been left in open space to make it more abstract, but I had considered to illustrate it on a surface in a dark room to give more context. 

In order to make the image more captivating and give depth, I plan to re create the image by using gouache for blocks of colour, and colour pencils for lighting and detail. Some illustrators who's practice inspire me is Daniel Jamie Williams, and Oliver Jeffers. 

Daniel Jamie Williams 

His work is a mix of using pencils and mixing with digital elements to colour, and the style of the illustrations give the feeling of contemporary folklore images, by making the figure more abstract than realistic and with the cartoonish face on the skull. The compositions may first appear to be fairly quiet within the scenes and colour palettes, but with closer inspection, the more apparent the narrative and symbols become, such as in the above image. It may first appear that the figure is sitting in a garden of flowers and rocks, but noticing the face of the skull transforms the scene to have an ominous twist. 

Oliver Jeffers 

Jeffers' work has a much different approach as the images are more experimental, and brightly coloured for children's picture books. Although my illustrations are not aimed for children, the colours used in his scenes inspired me to recreate a full coloured image for Gelert to make the image more captivating. 

Gelert;

Overall I am happy with the outcome as it is much brighter and allowed for better experimentation with lighting, and also gives a softer appearance. Using gouache to create a full colour scene presents its own challenges as it become risky with making the scene blur together where a higher level of detail is needed. 

JeffJeffers, O (2017) Here We Are. Great Britain, HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. 

Williams, D.J (2016) Growth For Daylight Curfew. [Online] Available from: http://danieljamiewilliams.com/#/growth-for-daylight-curfew/ [Accessed 9 April 2018]  

Gelert planning

After creating the initial designs in paper cuts, I wanted to work up the second idea into a sketch and also a fine liner. I realised as the image was so focused around the idea of the central tree, it was hard to incorporate any sequence or decorative design. I therefore re-designed the image, but instead of making a normal scene, I wanted to challenge some elements. I created the image a though it is 3D and inside a cardboard box, with a lightbulb for a sun, a washing line to dry the clouds out, and the mountains as a 2D background. It also allowed space for the sequence to play out more normally, with some elements are more hidden.  

Experimenting with first compositions for new Welsh folktale, Gelert.

After making some rough sketches, I started making some symmetrical paper cuts by folding the paper in half and seeing the image repeated on the opposite side. I used this method as I wanted to see the effect symmetry could have as an outcome. I think the symmetry is a great effect but the paper cut is very limiting for the type of detail I would like to incorporate, and also has to be cut in a considered way so that it will stay together as one image, but is an efficient way to plan a composition at a fair size quickly. 

1)

2)

Image 1 has a mountain in the centre, with trees on the left and right, with 2 streams leading from the mountain to the lake at the bottom, with Gelert, the King and the Prince in the centre. 

Image 2 has a tree directly in the centre, with a mountain either side, clouds hanging from a line across the top and a small hut at the bottom. This scene is not completed with characters yet, but will have a drawn version. 

Final Composition of Cadair Idris

Development of Cadair Idris Compositions

Below are sketchbook images of character designing for Idris' wife and Idris himself. I started making these sketches as I started to hit a wall with the large collage as I felt I was too concerned with the medium and the outcome, over being creative. I still plan on making a larger composition, but by using pencils and colouring pencils as it gives a more immediate outcome and better detail.

Idris' Wife:

Idris: 

Larger collage as development from the first 3 compositions in previous post. Has not been completed as it wasn't working for me, therefor decided to move on: 

First Compositions for Cadair Idris

After looking at theories for compositions, I started making sketches for the location of Cadair Idris as it is a real mountain in North Wales. In the bottom right corner of this first image is a doodle of an idea I had in mind, and from this I used black and white collage to experiment with making possible images. For the first two images I used the rule of thirds, and the third image is based on symmetry. These images were a great way to start out by being able to see areas of improvement such as scale, composition and detail. 

One of the elements that needs improvement is the giant sitting on the mountain in the first composition, as it is too big and needs to include the whole character. The next step will be to recreate some of these images at a larger scale, with more tonal  variety to help distinguish depth and overlapping of certain elements, and also to develop a range of faces and emotions for the giants. 

Image 1 

Image 2

Image 3 

Considering Composition

When planning a composition, there are rules that can be followed to help the final outcome be more pleasing and satisfying for the viewer. These rules are generally used within photography or film marking, but can also be applied in art. 

The rule of thirds is one of the most common rules, and works by dividing the canvas into three sections horizontally and vertically, making 9 boxes in total. The lines are used as guides, and if the larger elements of the image run near the guides it becomes more visually interesting, and where the lines overlap are good areas for the main focus. For example, on the image below, the top line of the grid runs along the horizon, and the top right point of the grid is where the cathedral is.  

Rule of Thirds:

Some other methods that can apply for this project would be Symmetry, either by  working vertically or horizontally such as reflections in water, or using Leading Lines. These lines help lead your focus around an image, this is typically done using lines such as paths or roads, adding a possible narrative element. In addition to this, the leading lines may create triangles through the image, with all the triangles meeting at the same point, creating dynamic tension.  

Symmetry:

Leading Lines:

Triangles:

(reference for images and information to be added to reference list later)