This week we have been allocated a text, which have accompanying Art Director's instructions which specify the mood/atmosphere I should aim to create. I was allocated 'The mind and Dying of Mr Punch' by David Grubb . Art Direction: Malevolence, Violence, Fractured, Claustraphobia, the pull of the dark, the baying crowd, Nightmarish, Cold, Calculating intelligence. Other than these instructions, the final illustration could be based on the text itself. The illustration will feature as a full-page image within a high-quality, Folio Society production and will be reproduced full bleed on a page size of 220mm high x 155mm wide. Inspiration for Mr PunchMy inspiration for the portrayal of the character Mr Punch came from traditional depictions of the character created in pen and ink, as well as Dave McKeans portrayal of the character for Neil Gaimans 'The Comical Tragedy or Tragical Comedy of Mr Punch'. I looked to the traditional depictions of Mr Punch to inform my practice in terms of colour palette and Mr Punches attire, but Dave Mckeans illustrations and puppets had a great sense of character and malevolence, which helped me decide on my own version of Mr Punch. ThumbnailsI have created a series of illustrations some produced in full colour and others in black and white, as I often found that I struggled with knowing which colour palettes to use without overpowering the composition. I wanted to create thumbnails which were inspired by different elements of the art direction and subsequently the text itself to gather multiple ideas for composition and the story that i would be telling about Mr Punch. The thumbnails which I found to be most successful were the ones of Mr Punch inside a box with a more limited/ subdued colour palette, as I felt that they helped to tell the story of Mr Punches anger at his entrapment as a puppet. Final PieceThe Part of the text which I have focused on for my final piece is as follows,
'Punch disappears, his faced rammed into the dark of the box. The thing called wife takes over and laughter rings. The policeman and the judge behave like clowns. The dark of the box whistles. Punch cannot hear. He wraps his face in a piece of the dark and the huge doubt bleeds.' I feel I have managed to depict a malevolent scene through the use of a receding shadowed background, which induces the pull of the dark, as it contracts into Mr Punch and adds to his already overflowing cup of evil. I have used perspective lines to depict the inside of a wooden box, as well as appearing prison like, which is metaphorical as Mr Punch feels trapped. Mr Punch lies, as if he has been dropped into the box carelessly, his position with an arm wrapped over himself, as if for self-comfort. Being cast off has further fuelled anger and misanthropy towards his jailer, as he plots his escape. I have used the traditional colours for his costume, but muted them to reflect the darkness of his surroundings, the red being the most prominent and used to guide the viewers eye through the piece from Mr Punches hat down to the blood splatters.
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AuthorStudent Illustrator. Archives
December 2020
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