SSP 1

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SCENE STEALERS - NOT JUST A SHOP

The first part of our SSP unit was based on one of the projects we did for our previous submission ‘Exploring Studio Practises’. I decided to develop my outcome from the ‘Scene Stealers’ brief. I chose this one because I found it the most fun and I really liked what I produced for it. However, I actually couldn’t develop my final outcome of this because there were worries about censorship. My piece was based on an extremely graphic and violent scene in my chosen movie ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ (see my blog for the piece). So instead, I decided to develop one of the illustrations I produced earlier on in the project instead.

I was really excited about this project as I already wanted to develop my outcome for ‘scene stealers’ so being given the opportunity to as a brief was really great.

Research : Screenshots

To contextualise the piece I am developing, I decided to revisit the screenshots it was based on. What originally drew me to this scene was how such a simple, gentle act between the Faun and Ofelia is so powerful and how it highlights the extreme violence Ofelia is living through. The fantasy world which is not her own is more comforting than the world she was born into.

The Original Illustration

This is the original illustration I produced in response to the scene on the previous slide. It was originally part of a set of two, the other piece depicted Ofelia with the Faun’s hands cupping her face.

I still like how this turned out. It is really different from my usual style in that apart from the hair and horns it is very simple and linear. However, I do want to make this piece more ‘me’.

After a tutorial with my tutor, I decided that it would be really interesting to develop this into an Art Nouveau style piece, specifically inspired by the work of Alphonse Mucha.

Mucha is one of my favourite artists, so this idea really motivated me.

Research : Alphonse Mucha

Alphonse Mucha is an artist that I have been interested in for a really long time. His use of fluid, soft lines and beautiful colours combines to create some truly stunning works of art that never fail to inspire me.

What I think I need to pay special attention to with my piece is firstly, his previously mentioned use of line… I need to find a way to reflect this in my own way. I should also look into his use of detail, I want to find a way to incorporate some kind of symbolism that relates to the movie my artwork will be based on.

Research : Antoni Gaudi

As Pan’s Labyrinth is so deeply rooted in Spanish culture and history, I decided that it was only natural that I should include inspiration from not just French but also Spanish Art Nouveau. Antoni Gaudi was a groundbreaking architect who through his unique and one-of-a-kind style has left an undeniable effect on the history of his profession and the visual identity of Barcelona. What I am most interested in from his work is his use of colour and stained glass. I think finding a way to incorporate this vibrancy of colour in my work will allow me to not only make a meaningful connection to Spanish culture and history but it will also set my work apart from Mucha who tends to use more muted and natural colour.

I also noticed how the colours that Gaudi uses are quite similar to the holographic nature of some beetles and bugs, which the fairies in the story can turn into. It would be interesting to maybe find a way to incorporate them somehow.

Development : Compositional Drawings

After doing multiple thumbnail sketches, I decided to develop these three into bigger compositional drawings. After asking my class in an interim presentation, it was decided that I should continue with the front facing composition rather than changing the original design too much. One concern I had when doing these compositions was that it would turn out too ‘poster-ish’ which would be going against the brief… However, after discussing this with my tutor, I was assured that if it did turn out a bit ‘poster-ish’, it would be ok as it is almost inevitable when referencing an artist such as Mucha.

Development : Colour

These are the versions I presented in the interim assessment.

Development : Art Nouveau 'Halo'

Developing from the response I received in the interim presentation, I decided to design an intricate ‘halo’ for the figure inspired by the ones Mucha drew in his own work. I thought this was a perfect opportunity to incorporate some symbolism into the piece.

Beside each sketch you can see the ideas behind the design. In the end, I decided to progress with the upper left design. I feel it is the most unique and has the most effective references to the film within it. They’re really recognisable for a fan who has watched the film but to someone who hasn’t, they probably wouldn’t realise. I think this fits the ideas stated in the original brief perfectly.

After completing the finalised line art of the figure and the ‘halo’. I am quite happy with how these turned out. I like the differentiating line weight on the figure, I think it looks really interesting and almost hypnotic?

Adding colour to this piece will be extremely important. I need to make sure I explore many different options to make sure I convey all that I want to with this piece.

Development : Colour

For the colouring, I wanted to explore many different options until I felt that the colours used reflected all the influences that went into this project. I made these colour versions by experimenting with the hue and saturation tools on procreate. I really love the versions that feature lots of vibrant and interesting colours… specifically the top far right and bottom far right. I feel they not only reflect the work of Mucha well but also capture the spirit of Gaudi’s architecture through the vibrant colour.

This is my favourite of these versions

Developing the colouring by adding shading and a Background

Development :Scene Stealers Critique

This is the piece I printed and presented at the project critique. After choosing the pink/pink colouring, I also added a darker green background and some shading to his face in attempt to make him look more mysterious.

I like how my outcome turned out! I feel it captures the essence of what I wanted to achieve as it links to both Mucha and Spanish Art Nouveau well… I also managed to include the symbols that I wanted with the use of the halo. Unfortunately, most of the design got covered by the figure and I want to work on improving this.

The main feedback I got from the critique was that people really liked the choice of colours and the clear stylistic influence of Mucha. They also really liked my detailed linework in the hair and the details in the ‘halo’.

Things that were brought up for improvement were that the background should have more detail and that I should add the two triangles with fairies inside, like I had in the original compositional drawing. They also wanted me to work on the positioning of the figure. They felt his body was too squished together and that I should work on making it more clear and the hands more prominent.

I felt really motivated after this critique. I want to do justice to one of my favourite movies and artists so badly.

Development : Second look into Mucha

After the critique, I decided to look into Mucha again, but this time look more closely at things I overlooked last time. I looked at this piece in particular as it is one of my favourites. I looked more closely at the linework, the colour of the lines he uses, the softness of the faces and the shading. I also looked at how he draws bodies - they always look really soft and delicate. It will be hard to make the character I am focusing on look ‘soft’ as he has quite sharp features… but I am interested to experiment with these new insights.

Development : New Lineart

This is the lineart I produced in response to my feedback at the critique and my second look into the work of Alphonse Mucha.

I really love how these turned out. I feel the figure especially has improved so much already! Doing the lines in brown was such a small change that made a really big impact. I think the piece reflects the work of Mucha more now and it looks much more delicate. In response to the feedback I received at the critique, his pose is now clearer and I feel it is much more like what I was envisioning at the start of this project.

As for the background, I decided to add the stars I drew in the original concept drawing as well as the little boarder triangles. This little extra push of added detail makes a big difference.

Development : Tutorial Feedback on New Version

For the colouring on the new version, I didn’t change much from the initial piece I presented at the critique. I muted the colours ever so slightly so they are more harmonious, but not so much that they take away from my reference to Spanish art nouveau. I added yellow to the ‘halo’ to tie in with the stars more. And I took colour out of the little symbols inside, so that it does not distract from the figure too much. The white ring around the halo was added after looking into more of Mucha’s work. I think it looks much better this way.

I also added more delicate shading to the face and body, using a textured brush on procreate. I think this looks really effective and creates the ‘soft’ look I was trying to achieve.

After showing this improved piece to my tutor, I received a lot of positive feedback. It made me really glad that I spent the extra time to develop this piece further. Furthermore, I was also given a few suggestions for final tweaks I should make before submission. Firstly, I should crop the image and bring the corner triangles down closer to the stars. I was glad he mentioned this as I planned to do this already but as it was a set format piece, I had to get permission first. For the ‘Halo’ he suggested that I add colour to the symbols instead. Instead of actually drawing attention to the face, it takes it away as the white is the brightest colour in the piece. He also suggested to make the drawing of the moon more simple as it looks too realistic and clashes with the rest of the piece. In addition to this, more dramatic shading on the face will make it stand out better. The final advice was to change the line colour of the inner lines of the ‘halo’. The black is too harsh and takes impact away from the figure.

Evaluation

This is my Final Piece after making all the suggested tweaks my tutor recommended. The only one I didn’t follow was adding the more harsh shading to the face, because when I tried it, it made the figure look quite clown like.. I felt it also took away from the ‘soft’ look I liked.

I really love how this turned out! I am so proud of it and glad that I took the extra time to develop this piece after the critique with the scene stealers. I think this piece accumulates all the references that I wanted to make very well. The lineart is quintessentially Mucha without betraying my own personal aesthetics. The halo (which is now much more visible) has nice little references to certain scenes in the movie that a fan would appreciate. And finally, The colouring strongly links to Spanish Art Nouveau, especially with the addition of the purple to the symbols in response to the feedback I received. I am so happy.

If I wanted to develop this further, I think I would want to make a set of these. One for each of the main characters in the movie could be really interesting and make a beautiful collection of images.