Sunday, 5 February 2012
Saturday, 4 February 2012
Friday, 3 February 2012
Wilbur Whateley Silhouette Experiments
I have experimented using tree branches and roots to create a silhouette of Wilbur.
Two Old Trees
I have found this interesting drawing by DeviantArt user ~pitacok.
I am interested in it because it is a re-appropriation of tree branches into Lovecraftien style tentacles. I intend to do something similar in order capture a folkloric style in my design for Wilbur.
Thursday, 2 February 2012
Fauns, Trees and Tentacles
The Dunwich Horror has its roots in a story by one of Lovecraft’s idols, Arthur Machen. Arthur Machen’s The Great God Pan is a story about the child of the faun god Pan. The Dunwich Horror is Lovecraft’s reinterpretation of Machen’s folkloric tale. Lovecraft’s description of Wilbur Whateley seems to incorporate aspects of traditional fauns.
I decided that I could incorporate a suggestion of traditional folklore in my design for Wilbur. I began looking at depictions of fauns in traditional artwork.
Burne Jones
Arnold Bocklin
.jpg)
These paintings are interesting and may become more useful later on to further establish a visual style. I was stuck in an attempt to find a way of incorporating more Lovecraftien aspects (such as tentacles) with traditional Folkloric elements. In my tutorial with Alan, it was suggested that I look more closely at faun mythology and the connection to nature.
As advised by Alan, I have created abstract silhouettes using the shapes of tree branches and roots. These shapes could form the basis of some initial concepts.
I have also made an influence map showcasing various strange tree textures.
My next step will possibly be to begin sketching some initial ideas.
Mary and Max (2009)
Mary and Max (2009) is an Australian stop motion animated film from director Adam Eliot. The film tells the story of two pen pals who have never met. Mary is a lonely eight year old girl who lives a dysfunctional life in the suburbs of Melbourne. Max is a reclusive Aspergers sufferer living in a grim New York ghetto. The two become pen pals when Mary choses Max’s name at random from a phone book. The film follows the development of the characters and their relationship over many years.
Fig 1: Aspies for Freedom
Stylistically, the characters and environments are extremely exaggerated, and almost grotesque. This is perhaps a representation of the way the characters view themselves, the people around them and there environments. There are two distinct, but equally muted, colour pallets for the two locations in the film, New York and the Melbourne suburbs. Australia is a gloomy sepia tone representative of humdrum suburban life. New York has a hard egged, grimy, film noir inspired black and white tone.
Fig 2: Colour Pallet
The film explores adult themes with a darkly comic and witty sense of humour. Mental illness, anxiety, death, suicide, alcoholism and sex are not subjects usually considered suitable for animation but Eliot proves that, in the right hands, they certainly can be. Possibly, the reason this works is because of the innocents of the story telling style. Slant Magazine critic Chris Cabin echoes this suggestion, he states that: “Mary and Max should now finally be included in the list of recent animated films that deal head-on with bleak adult themes and yet bring out a wide-eyed wonder in their imaginative aesthetic” (Cabin2010).
Mary and Max impresses as a technical wonder in addition to being a beautifully told, adult and thematic story. The film balances realism, adult themes and dark comedy with a consistent heart-warming honesty.
Bibliography
Chris Cabin, Slant Magazine, Mary and Max, Movie Review, July 19th 2010, Available at: http://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/review/mary-and-max/1776
Image List
Figure 1, Aspies for Freedom, Available at: http://lynmidnight.blogspot.com/2011/08/silly-sunday-snapshots-max-and-mary.html
Figure 2, Colour Pallet, Available at: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/sftw/3191562/Alex-Zane-reviews-Mary-And-Max.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)