Rewritten Statement of Intent

I've really had to narrow down everything, from trying my hand at everything (and being a bit of a Jack-of-all-trades really) to having a definite focus, which through lots of research is to be a series of illustrations to a Hindu legend with which I have made myself familiar. So here, to clarify, is my rewritten proposal:

Cat Walden's Unit 7 Final Major Project Proposal
“A History”

Progress & Achievement
During my time spent in the foundation course I have come to a better understanding of media and context in conjunction with illustration. It is important to consider how best to communicate an idea to a chosen target audience. From a wide range of explorations into media and techniques, I have had to narrow down preparatory work into one concrete direction to persue as a final outcome to this project. I have found research from books and the internet incredibly useful to derive a contextual direction to what I create.

Context:
I propose to illustrate the Hindu tale of Matsya; Vishnu's first incarnation. While presenting the story in a fashion appropriate to the story (working to the scale of a book, with images inamongst the text), I aim to include the parallel with the Noah legend; a tale we in the west are far more familiar with, hopefully introducing the concept of this overlap to those less familiar with it. There is no strict target audience here, only those who enjoy stories and magic.
Like many examples of book illustration I have seen, I will be presenting both the text and the resulting illustrations to it, as this is the challenge I have set myself. This is what is required of book illustration; the images must work with the text.

Project Proposal Aims, Methods & Realisation:
After weeks of wondering, out of the mess of various self-generated narratives came a focus for this project. Right from the first delving into worldly research, mythology fascinated me, in particular the exotic myths of the east.
I have learned that it is ignorant to call Hinduism 'Indian', not indeed to assign any nationality to any way of life. Gods and legends transverse ages, continents and races. Greco-Buddhism [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syncretism] in particular took my interest, and I believe it is from there that my journey of discovery began.

To begin with, during the research phase, I thoroughly explored all of the media available to me, which was the only way in which to come to a conclusion as to what would be most effective to convey my chosen narrative.

Simultaneously, I attempted to generate and use self-generated narratives, which, given the nature of the expected result and research of the project, were unsatisfactory, and did not provide a decent platform from which to work. I am no writer.

However, during my research, while reading the book 'Hindu Epics, Myths & Legends' [Vassilis G. Vitsaxis, 1978](blogged), I came across the first incarnation of Vishnu; Matsya, and the ancient story surrounding him. Since visiting the British Museum, the Natural History Museum and the V&A, I had been hooked on these Hindu legends. I loved the Hindu deities for all their human qualities. They reminded me of western superheroes with mortal weaknesses, but with the fate of humanity in their hands. Once again, Greco-Buddhism surfaced. The cross-over with Christian mythology (the tale of Noah's Ark) is certainly notable. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flood_myth]

Since coming to this conclusion on a subject matter, I have researched (and shall carry on doing so) methods of book illustration. I read and subsequently blogged all relevant things from Fantasy Book Illustration 1860-1920 [Brigid Peppin, 1975]. It seems my work is heavily influenced by artists like Edmund Dulac and W. Heath Robinson. I am working very traditionally (in watercolour, a medium which I enjoy and am practiced in), mimicking the aesthetic principles alive in the days of Nouveau and the Arts & Crafts Movement.

For primary research I have visited the British Museum, V&A, National Gallery and Horniman museums, as all have collections relevant to my chosen subject matter.

The paintings are already underway, but I am still looking into the best method for reproduction, in scale and truth to colour in printing (saturation/brightness etc.)


René Bull: an illustration to Aladdin, from the Arabian Nights

Edmund Dulac's illustration to the Snow queen.
The two previous images show how the artists, while adhering to the story have clearly used their own imaginations to create a colourful, magical, yet believeable world in which the characters in the text come to life.

A traditional Indian painting of Lord Vishnu. Symbology is very important to consider when making any images of sacred characters.

Small chapter heading images by W. Heath Robinson, intended to be upon the same pages as the text. This is a technique I have had to consider on two pages of the story, and in print.

Here are the first two sequential images I have painted.

Evaluation: I have come to understand how important it is to have a clear focus and direction when working. I cannot work as spontaneously or whimsically as perhaps I would like to. However, through a lot of research and experimentation I believe I have come to the most appropriate conclusion and solution to this brief.


Bibliography:
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syncretism] ~ many other Wikipedia pages used, of course.
'Hindu Epics, Myths & Legends' [Vassilis G. Vitsaxis, 1978]
'Fantasy Book Illustration 1860-1920' [Brigid Peppin, 1975]
'Indian Painting' [Mohinder Singh Randhawa & John Kenneth Galbraith, 1969]
'Stories From The Arabian Nights' [illustrated by Edmund Dulac, 1907]
'The Arabian Nights' [Illustrated by René Bull, 1912]
[http://www.arabiannightsbooks.com/illustrators.do;jsessionid=06E868DAF120EA4106E63FFED292E515]
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/tralamander/sets/72157626195813806/]
[http://www.flickr.com/photos/tralamander/sets/72157625883270054/]
[http://justillustrateit.blogspot.com/]

Simples. `_~