MY OBJECTIVES 2012: How can I achieve what I want to achieve in my personal practice this year?

Here is a generalisation of my objectives for September; although I have clarified 'what my project will be', 'why I have chosen it' and 'how' I aim to do it. I believe, I can set it out even more simply.

1: To research and explore 'cautionary tales' looking not only at the obvious 'Fairy Tales' but film, theater and narrative artwork.

2: To explore a sense of escapism through cautionary tales.

3: To 'de-glamourise' the fantasy world, the escapism I create should be such that there is a fine-line between the 'real'and 'surreal'.

4:To research story-boarding by looking at other artists, experimenting with a range of styles and media; finally demonstrating an understanding for that kind of storytelling.

5: Show an understanding for the pairing of foreground, background, set and scenery (proportion , perspective etc.) in the general creation of a whole 'picture' or 'frame.' I will achieve this by going to atmospheric locations, doing observational drawings of appropriate buildings, landscapes etc.

6: Show an understanding  for appropriate costume but keeping it innovative and original. I plan to draw stills from film and Television, research into costume and  historical dress and practice my own costume drawing as often as possible.

7: To develop my figure drawing,taking influence from my life drawing lessons and doing as much observational drawing as possible.

8. To teach and remind people of the true Gothic meaning and atmosphere of the old well-known cautionary tales and use this as a vessel for adventure and escape.

WHAT ARE MY OBJECTIVES? WHY ARE THESE MY OBJECTIVES? WHAT SKILLS WILL I NEED? WHAT IS MY STRUCTURED PRACTICE? WHAT IS THE ACTIVE PROCESS? WHAT IS MY PROJECT? 2012

For me, drawing has always been about ‘escapism’.  When I read a story I read it for the pictures it conjures in my mind; dramatic, illustrative stills that pack in atmosphere, emotion and intensity. For me, there is nothing better than being able to visualise a world that is more surreal, more exciting, and most importantly, more ‘dangerous’ than the one I live in. This is how I immerse myself and create empathetic illustrations. I seek ‘adventure’ through ‘cautionary tales’ and for this reason I have decided to base my forthcoming authorship project on ‘escapism through cautionary tales.’ I hope that through this project I can remind people of the ‘true meaning’ of the tales of old, focusing mainly on the Fairy Tales of ‘Grimm’ and ‘Andersen’ and drawing out the hidden, adult, undertones of these stories. I am not afraid to push the boundaries of story-telling; I have no problem with being slightly daring, slightly dark and edgy with my illustrations because, ultimately, these stories, no frills, are dark and edgy! I am looking to challenge stereotypes and move away from ‘pretty pictures’ because that is something ‘I know’ I can do. I don’t want to limit myself to a particular audience because the question I am trying to answer is ‘are what we deem children’s stories actually age appropriate?’ Fairy Tales, myths and legends have always been a passion of mine and something I have wanted to experiment with creatively and for this reason I think I will be driven by these objectives. 

Over the years I have realised that ‘material’ or ‘inspiration’ can be found anywhere; that I can source my artistic escape through all kinds of media and I will need a wide range of skills to be able to do so. I believe I can learn a lot through researching films, especially the British, costume, melodrama’s of the early 1940's. It will be important that I practice costume and figure design; along with stance and expression as often as possible as these are key elements in the execution of character. In addition, these movies were ‘cautionary tales’ in themselves and I could remind myself of the storylines and use them for ‘content’ as well as inspiration. I can draw on the stark, flamboyant style that is evident in the lavish sets, hyperbolic make-up and costume and use this to influence various aspects of my illustrations. One thing I know I need to improve on is my ability to draw scenery and background, I believe I can improve in all fields but character design and costume are the skills I have mastered the most. A good way to begin would be to draw interesting stills from these movies, looking at all the layers and proportions so I can practice putting a ‘picture’ together.  

When I have a good number of interesting drawings I will be able to experiment with storyboarding; as I am planning on working towards producing a set of polished illustrations that fulfil my objectives. I plan to do this by, firstly, experimenting with a wide range of media. My pencil case is packed out with crayons; felt-tips and Pro-Markers, graphite sticks and thick-fine-liners, so I really want to play with lots of different stories and styles and see what works and matches and what doesn’t. I have already looked at the work of John Bryan, a movie concept artist from my favourite film era. Looking at such artists is really important in influencing my ideas for style, context and concept, so, I will continue with my artist research throughout the project (concept/costume/storyboard) to give my work and heightened credibility.

In conclusion, I would like to clarify my aims. By the end of this project I intend to have a set of at least fifteen polished illustrations that defer to the concept of ‘escapism through cautionary tales.’ Depending on my research, will I decide if this is to be in book or storyboard form.  I intend to achieve this through extensive practice at character, costume, set and scenery design. I will look at figure drawing, expression, history, film and literature and lastly various forms of storyboarding, settling on the most appropriate from for my aims and context.