Illustration in response to the written word
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Project 03
Brief -
Pick one of the following 4 pathways, each of which poses a slightly different problem as detailed below.
1 - Editorial
2 - Narrative Fiction
3 - Picture book for early readers
4 - Song Lyrics
1 EDITORIAL
You are asked to produce a series of 3 editorial submissions, one for each week of this project's timetable allocation. This means that your 3 illustrations need to both respond to the article in question but also share a recognisable visual relationship.
Provide 3 articles from the same writer, you may select from one of the following:
- Fay Weldon
- David Baddiel
- Will Self
One of your illustrations should be mocked-up in either a web or print context.
2 NARRATIVE FICTION
Here you are asked to produce a series of 3 illustrations for inclusion in a special edition of a literary classic
You are to produce:
- 1 single page, full bleed, full colour
- 1 double page spread with incorporated type, full colour or B&W
- A front cover design
Choose one from the following:
- The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan
- Metamorphis by Franz Kafka
- The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
3 PICTURE BOOK FOR EARLY READERS
You are asked to provide 3 illustrated pages by way of 'proof of concept' for your book.
- 1 double page spread
- 1 single page
- A front cover design
Choose between:
- A modern update of Heinrich Hoffman's classic Struwwelpeter
- Rudyard Kipling's How the Elephant Got its Trunk
- Robert Browning's poem The Pied Piper of Hamelin
4 LYRICS
For this option you are asked to produce 2 illustrations and a front cover design to accompany a monograph of an artist's lyrics. In some cases, a single lyric might suit a single illustration whilst others might contain a complex and multi-layered narrative deserving a series of works.
You may choose from one of the following artistes:
- Joni Mitchell
- Scott Walker
- PJ Harvey
Pick one of the following 4 pathways, each of which poses a slightly different problem as detailed below.
1 - Editorial
2 - Narrative Fiction
3 - Picture book for early readers
4 - Song Lyrics
1 EDITORIAL
You are asked to produce a series of 3 editorial submissions, one for each week of this project's timetable allocation. This means that your 3 illustrations need to both respond to the article in question but also share a recognisable visual relationship.
Provide 3 articles from the same writer, you may select from one of the following:
- Fay Weldon
- David Baddiel
- Will Self
One of your illustrations should be mocked-up in either a web or print context.
2 NARRATIVE FICTION
Here you are asked to produce a series of 3 illustrations for inclusion in a special edition of a literary classic
You are to produce:
- 1 single page, full bleed, full colour
- 1 double page spread with incorporated type, full colour or B&W
- A front cover design
Choose one from the following:
- The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan
- Metamorphis by Franz Kafka
- The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
3 PICTURE BOOK FOR EARLY READERS
You are asked to provide 3 illustrated pages by way of 'proof of concept' for your book.
- 1 double page spread
- 1 single page
- A front cover design
Choose between:
- A modern update of Heinrich Hoffman's classic Struwwelpeter
- Rudyard Kipling's How the Elephant Got its Trunk
- Robert Browning's poem The Pied Piper of Hamelin
4 LYRICS
For this option you are asked to produce 2 illustrations and a front cover design to accompany a monograph of an artist's lyrics. In some cases, a single lyric might suit a single illustration whilst others might contain a complex and multi-layered narrative deserving a series of works.
You may choose from one of the following artistes:
- Joni Mitchell
- Scott Walker
- PJ Harvey
Narrative books research
The Thirty Nine Steps by John Buchan is an adventure novel published in 1915. It first appeared as a serial in Blackwood's magazine, and is the first of five novels featuring "Richard Hannay" as its protagonist. The story combined both personal and political drama.
The Thirty Nine Steps is about Hannay, who discovers a plan to destabilise Europe, and the plot follows his adventures in clearing his name and escaping from those who hunt him because of the information he has.
The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka is an allegorical novel published in 1915.
It follows the story of a man named Gregor who wakes up one day having been transformed into a huge bug. Normally the breadwinner for his family, he is quickly treated with fear and disgust by his family. There are lots of interpretations about the meanings of the story and the roles of Gregor and his family, particularly of his sister Greta.
The Lottery by Shirley Jackson is a short story published in 1948.
It describes a fictional town in which a member of the community is selected by chance and stoned to death. The work includes themes of scapegoating and mob mentality - the stones "purging" the town of bad and allowing for good. The dark and serious themes contrast against the sunny and peaceful description of the town.
I decided to choose to illustrate The Lottery, as I was already familiar with the story, and the tonal dissonance and themes could be used to produce very good imagery.
Artists
- Norman Rockwell
- Kendal Pak
- Mikkel Sommer
I initially began by sketching out some very rough ideas for the single and double page illustrations, along with the front cover.
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Then I developed more concepts for the front cover, and refined my favourite idea with some colours. I researched the Folio Society and looked at the covers for some of their books as inspiration for my own design.
I ended up choosing this design because it is simplistic enough to be easily recognisable, and it also alludes to the scene in the story where thr slips of paper are blown into the air by the wind.
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Afterwards, I sketched out my design at a larger scale. From here I can now experiment with the colours and the typography for the front cover of the book.
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Then I completed a series of rough thumbnails for the single page illustration. I decided to develop the idea of illustrating a hand holding the lottery slip, and played around with the different variations that can come from this idea.
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Afterwards I completed some rough thumbnails of the double page spread. I have decided to illustrate a scene where two characters, Mr Adams and Old Man Warner, talk together about the fact that another town is considering giving up the Lottery.
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