9 Pages of Sketches

Most of these sketches are just ‘thoughts on a page’ I did have one or two ‘Eureka’ moments where I thought that I had a really good shot- though now, looking back on my sketches of the temples looking out towards a mountainous path, it seems rather stereotypical. 



Just some 'Brain doodles of a mountain and a 'fancy'  mansion along with a rift leading up to said mansion. but as I said- their brain doodles.



Half a brain doodle, half a 'placeing-of-things' doodle, I don't particually like this sketch as it has the lack of any type of scale. it just looks like a small hill you might see in north Yorkshire behind a house.



Mansion desgining. I liked this desgin, but not the angle. it was a 'bowl of soup' I was dreading. and it had nothing but a house desgin.




mountain sketches. while scoureing through a serch of 'mountains veiw' I found a realy good picture (that I will put in my resource findings below) that had alot of detail, a cavernous apperence AND mountains in the distance.




This is a 'Eureka' moment for me. not only do I have perspective, but I have a cavern or chasm of sorts with the mansion in the back-ground. not takeing up the entire picture.




then... more brain doodles. I was trying to aim for a more imposeing building for the 'shunned house', but It didn't work well




back to 'House on the borderline' and yet another Eureka moment- statues! egypian statues of the chaos god 'Seth' (or 'Set') giving an arch-way to the way to the shunned house- like a portal of sorts.




With this new feed of (mostly if not all) egytian statues, I began to expariment. different possitians and statues. so far- my favorite and most likely to go with is the top right (Set) statues, looking down so, when the character passes through he is greeted with the eyes of  chaos.




After a talk with Phil. He said something interesting about 'looking through a window'. I know he was being metaphorical, but I gave that 'looking through into' a try. For me... it's a so-so. one side, I like it, it seems a l;ittle more aged and gives me a little more freedom to move out-side the confines of the basement. But again- it's a bowl of soup drawing, a little plain and boreing.




I tried from the other side of the door- the opposite angle, loking down the stairs to  the basement. though, again- I like it. the angles are a bit off and it was hard to try and fix them... wich I failed to do so



Recources

All of these images I looked at are from 'google' serches. I made sure they were photographs and not copy-righted.



A string of mountains, both far an near, covered in cloud and mist- I was hopeing to digitaly paint something like this.




This photo inspired the 'Eurika' moment, though it being a chasm more than a mountain.




With that original 'Eurika' moment, I serched for temples that were lined with sculpted Gods and Goddesses, this is the Meenakshi Temple




I soon remembered out the apperence of Set and his Egyptian origin. and once again scoured for an image of a 'hallway' lined with Egyptian Gods and Godesses which led me to this image of Abu Simbel temple.



Influence Maps

Shunned House Influence Map

After I recived Folder 13, I immidetly serched 'the shunned house' and found out it was a real house. so- that means that I can't help but make great refence to that house, but I must try my best not to copy it direct. so- the serch began for abandoned houses that looked as if they'd seen much better days. as well as that lone mushroom- which, if you have read the first part of 'The Sunned House' you would know that H.P Lovecraft talks about 'bad smelling white fungi that glows like witches candle light' -or something similar.

House on the Borderline Influence Map

This Influence map was a half-half challenge. Meaning that it's easy finding pictures of mountains and mansions, but not so easy of finding pictures of being on mountains. or any type of 'fancy' house on mountains or near the base of them. but- I DO hope to use these images for 'House on the Borderline' scenes, which are prooving problimatic in one way or another.

around 20 more sketches

I meant to post ten sketches last night. but... it seemed to have slipped my mind, as many things do as of late. Though, I'm unsure of where to go from here regarding the Shunned House- I'm focusing on the basement of said house because I think it's one of the most detailed parts that H.P Lovecraft described- that and the outside of the house which I plan to illustrate as well.

Metropolis Reveiw (changed)

Metropolis

Mushoom Drawings

One of the scenes in The Shunned House by H.P Lovecraft I really enjoyed reading was when the basement of the house was described, it seemed like such a dark damp and dank place that I immediately thought "this seems really interesting! I would love to depict this!"

and so, I hope that I do depict this eery basement as final piece. though much thought will have to go in the layout and planning for the writing to be depicted 'correctly' in my digital painting.

I'm not use to drawing Mushrooms. so, I thought that I would try and study them- I have an actual mushroom book with different types of fungi, but I chose an iconic shape for my first drawings so they don't look too unfamiliar.

though I don't intend the mushrooms to be a center focus of one of my three final pieces, I still want to get them right- as well as them being a 'comfort' in an unfamiliar practice of perspective and architectural drawings.

(I also much to Phil's delight- just found the spell checker!)

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

caligari

Borderline House and Shunned House sketches

and so, I've begun. I'm going to try and aim for at least 10 sketches a day- that way, I'll have the minnimum requirement on the begining of the second week- then I can develop thoughs ect...

• 1. small representation of the basement in 'the shunned house'
• 2.(landscape) the chimney of the house in 'the Shunned house' that apparently sometimes bellows out wolf-shaped smoke.
• 3. the overgrown front garden in 'the shunned house'
• 4. Bigger representation of the basement in 'the shunned house'
• 5. the stright faced mountains (canyon) in 'the house on the borderline'
• 6. Mountain 'arena' with a box (marble) house in the center
• 7. Egyptian melevilent god Set (forground) and Hindu Death Goddess Kali (background)
• 8. another representation as above, but with the bore-faced giant, the fissure and marble house drawn out. (house on the borderline)
• 9. corridoor and stairway to the basement in the shunned house
• 10. Much Larger represenation of the basement in the shunned house.

Unit 2: Space

And so with the end of one unit, comes the birth of another, unit 2; Space. consept desgin for a given story section.
I got stuck with folder 8, which I dredded at first, but with the introduction of 'apocalyptic' beasts in the peice from: 'House on the Borderland, which eased the stress a little.

I'm not very good at drawing perspective- I have learnt, it's just never stuck with me.
but.
the story parts I've been saddled with are:

• H.P Lovecraft: 'The Shunned House'
• William Hope Hodgson: 'House on the Borderline (the arena)
• Edgar Allen Poe: The Masque Of The Red Death

I only have The Masque Of the Red Death to look into now, but I have read the others, and have started quickly sketching scenes, though the mountains in the house on the borderline are giving me trouble.

Face Drawings

Almost forgot to scan them in... but I didn't...

Anatomy Presentation

Presentation

Final Digital Painting

I didn't know that this digital painting would take so long, but a good few hours down the line, I'm finally done... or at least I think I am. Is there any improvements to be made? because, personally, I think there are ALOT of improvements to be made.

Final changes on the essay and Maya work

I have been worrying and working on my essay since from two weeks ago. and I found the theme I chose hard. I changed what I was looking at. originally it was the  Selkie, Kitsune and and the Portuguese/Amazonian Enantado. Then it changed to Lady White-snake, Selkie and Berserker. and though, I would of loved to have kept Lady white-snake in that mix. the story isn't well known in the west and so, any of the countless plays, opras and films were only in chinese and had no english translation. so- I thinned it down to just the selkie and the berserker- then, I noticed another similarity in the two. Selkie is simply the Orcadian dialect word for 'seal'. and Beserker was 'turned' into the english word beserk. they both have myths and legends and their both words, either a myth that turned into a word or a word that turned into a creature. so, with my two, and possibly third example (that being a 'chimera', a mythical creature that contained four different creatures and is also a genetic condition where a single person can have two different DNA sets and possibly a 'split' skin (one half light coloured, the other dark coloured) I'm leaning towards the word tranforming thing. I'm half-way through my essay. I'm just 'padding it out' to make 1,500 words (last word count was 675 words).

Maya Magnifying Glass
though I would of loved to do the poker chips and anything to do with textureing and UV maps, but it seems my copy of Photoshop Elements 7 doesn't reconise that there's alpha maps, and so I can't get rid of it. I'll try ad sort out the problem as soon as I can. but, here is the magnifying glass I made just last night;

It's a different colour, yes- but in that sense- I wanted to be different.
it only took me around an hour.

Final Picture Development and A Little Bit of MAYA

I have been working around the clock since friday- mostly trying to get my head around the essay and how I'm actually going to lay it out. but that's during the day- at night, my digital artistic pen rushes into my hand and we get to work on my final drawing.

But- I'm still learning how to light a scene. I've only really done day lit paintings and  'plain' lit pencil drawings. so- I thought to myself how to get the lighting in my peice correct. I'm not use to painting light from a single low-to-the-ground source or infact digital light. but- then, my mind turned to the new format I have been given since four days ago- MAYA. and so- I'm useing MAYA to help direct where the light will fall most of all on the character;

Setting out the modle to look like my character (though simplified)

though unfinnished in the shadeing/lighting, this picture shows how I keep a little rendered MAYA version of my final peice near the figure, so I can make comparisons and editds.

 Yes- the model isn't entirely accriate, but I wanted to know how and where the light would fall and how strongly in areas, I can add the rest such as hair, fetures, skin texture myself.

Maya Lighting

For some reason I wasn't able to join the MAYA blog, where you get all the important information. but- I have been improviseing since the lighting lesson. picking up bits of important informaion as I work on what the tutor is telling me, and so- though not intirely what we were suppose to do- expecially with the scenes, I did try and partake in the lighting lesson;

5 point lighting consisting of red, orange, white, yellow and grey. This was also a big step for me in another way- it is my first riggled model- you can see where the joint nodes would be.



Three point lighting. Three directional lights consisting of Red, Blue and White. This was the fist model that I made with just a single sphere. it too- is rigged.



Snailme finalist

After much thought and consideration, I wittled down my three finalists into just one- that I thought would both fit me (in a personality way) and still look like I've been merged with a snail:

I chose number 15, though edited the pose slightly, have the hybrid looking at least a little less depressed. I'm not there though, I am a little bit as I keep slimeing on the laptop- which doesn't belong to me! as well as knocking over a can of cola.

I chose the Laptop and the cans of cola to add to my final painting for a couple of different reasons;
-I spend 80% of my wakeing time either on a laptop or my own computer,
-The Laptop will produce my secondary light source,
-I'm addicted to cola,
-and, the cans will reflect parts of the light- giving me something to improve on: reflective surfaces.

I also sketched the skeletal structure of the final hybrid, includeing whats left of the bones, teeth and shells

This is just a basic skeletal structure of the hybrid. I didn't use any refrences- only memory.

Elephant Man reveiw

John Merric, the 'Elephant man' was born with a very rare condition (neurofibromatosis)that affects only around 3% of the worlds population. As the Elephant man opened, the veiwers were faced with a terrifying scene of a screaming woman and howling Elephants, As how merric would have started his life. The director, David Lynch cleaverly hides john from the audience, by placeing him in a darkened scene or behind a screen until later in the film where he is in the hospital, a 'safe' haven for thoughs who are ill or, like John deformed in one way or another, the film is ultimately moveings- as was the true story; It would take a heart of stone not be moved by "The Elephant Man". Based upon the true story of the horrendously deformed John Merrick (Hurt), this tale of a pure soul struggling to be heard over the prejudice of the many is quite heart-rending.' -Almar Haflidason, BBC, 24 May 200.
'



John trapped, like the animal many people saw him as.



John is moved into a better hospital room, of his own. Pictures are hung on the wall- one of which grabs Johns attention: a picture of a boy sleeping in a bed. because of John's large head, he physically couldn't lay down to sleep and slept sitting up, his head resting on his good left arm. This longing for normality eventually drives him to inedvertangly kill himself.

Forced to face the 'horrid Elephant Man' who is mearly sitting in his bed, the Woman screams with fright at just the sight of him.

As You may of guessed, the Public in the Elephant Man do not take kindly to john Merric- seeing him less than an animal- he was a 'freak' something to be stared at and horrified. From birth he was put on display in a freak show, along side bearded ladies and 'little people' As he was gained freedom by Dr. Frederick Treves People were even more desgust at him living his own life- expecially as he made his way back from france, where he was taken to after being captured by his old 'manager' where, with the help of the rest of the 'freakshow' escaped back to London, though as he made his way from the trainstation (possibly Victoria station) he was followed and harassed, children throwing things at him.

Black Swan reveiw

In Many ways, the film, Black Swan is a shocking and modern version of the ballet, Swan lake, haveing great similarities to the ballet, but still containing new contemporary twists such as the main character being a lesbeian, something only fifty years ago wouldn't be allowed, let alone produced.

Black Swan is also very operatic in the way the shots are made and the soundtrack used. The start of the film is reminisent of a shakespeian play, "I had the craziest dream last night, about a girl who turned into a swan, but her prince falls for the wrong girl and she kills herself" -Nina (Natalie Portman), Blackswan, opening scene. This sounds very much like a prolouge- a short version of what is going to happen in the film.

the prologe to the Black Swan, a white  ballerina on a black screen with a single white spotlight casting down on her- like an empty stage awaiteing the ballet.

The film, Black swan is a grey mixture of a seemingly 'normal' life of a hard working dancer and a much darker work of phycosis- a world of fightning illusions, tryng to stop her from being 'perfect'. The camera angles too, try to see Nina's angles on the world hardly ever takeing the camera off of the character. Andy Weisblum, Editor of Black Swan said: " Darren (director)decided to shoot it in a documentory style, which kinds of grounds it in a reality. we were trying to find a ballence between the fairytale elements and the ganre elements- the scarier elements, the horror stuff"- Black Swan Featureette: Production and Aronofsky, Youtube.


Nina's final performance- as the black swan. in this scene she now accepts who she is and what she has turned into- she finds that this transformation makes her 'perfect'.

 Black Swan has managed to take an old ballet- Swan Lake and make it into a new version of the film without staying too far from the routes, with added darkness and the sence of paranoia in the character as she is turning from the fragile White sawn to the darker Black swan in the end, playing out her role 'pefectly'

Splice Reveiw

Splice is an interesting combination of out-of-control genetics along with a rather strange mother-daughter orientated family. We can see this by Sarah Polley's character, Elsa Kast wanting to keep the hybrid child she named Dren, played by Delphine Chan'eac.
Splice, in a sence is about a family. Early on we find out that Elsa wants to have a child with her boyfriend, Clive- who doesn't, and so triggers off the 'makeing' of dren by Elsa ombineing her own DNA- makeing a surrigate daughter for herself. Though this goes wrong as Dren- like her mother, and any other child has 'temper tantrums' when she doesn't ge her way, causeing Elsa to part-way go down her mother's routes and start physiclly abuseing Dren via slapping and pulling her when Dren has acted against her 'mother'. Guillermo Del Toro, executave producer of Splice said " What I find scary about splice is not the cloneing or the genetic malipulation or the spliceing of genes and all thoughs things, What I find is that is a sort of a horrible family story"- Splice|Featurette #1 the idea of the movie (2010), Youtube. Meaning that Splice is half to do with genetic spliceing and half to do with a family plot that unfolds as Dren grows older and understands much more.

Dren as a curious 'toddler'

When Dren is first introduced, we see a 'mad' beast thrashing about, which almost mirrors a human child's birth- though less violent- the child comes out screaming, and stuggleing to adapt to it's new environment. As Dren Grows into her todderler stage (where she is still more fetal desptie the fully developed legs) We see her more adventerous- like how a todderler wants to explore and find out everything. And as she grows into adolecence and moves from her innocent stage, she becomes more attracted to her surrigate 'farther' and pushes away her 'mother' though not entirely true with all teenagers, but it has elements of truth such as the aruments between Dren and her 'mother' and growing closer to her 'farther', but Howard Berger, Special effects make up put the term much more simply: " Dren is definately the 'ugly duckling', she basically a Blob and then develops into beautiful Dren".

Dren Child (left) and Dren Adult Female (Right)

So, Splice- as stated before borders the line of a gene spliceing action-horror sci-fi film, but contains a typical household family element, createing monsters from all kinds of people and creating people from all kinds of monsters.

Just a quick update

I've mainly been working on my essay, as that's the biggest hurdle I face- but I've also been working on my snailme finalists, I've chosen the three I originally wanted to develop and coloured them to see what they would look like with colour- and though this may not be the final colours, it gives some idea on how the finnish snailme would look like;

Quickly coloured over the original pencil drawing.

I'll try and get my reveiws up soon- but I have to say, their the least of consern right now.

More sketches of snailme

I just can't figure out a pose for snailme... I want to try and draw a pose that looks like the hybrid is trying to move somewhere- but make it look as if she'd almost given up hope or energy- that said, I'm trying to avoid doing a side-on painting as I see that as boreing. I've tried out several poses and minor changes over the last two days- my favorite being 4, 10 and 15.

Again- I tried to get the Elephant Man reveiw up- but Blogger continued to mess up the paragraphs, mergeing two of them (the first and the last).

Company of Wolves reveiw

Yet again, I tried my darndest on my reveiw of company of wolves, even trying new tactics and typeing down (and answering) three questions to help stucture and build my reveiw- I don't think it worked, and I wasn't able to access any viable reveiws, to add to that, I was only able to see one quote from Rosaleen's grandmother that actually helped me. but- tomorrows reveiw- the Elephant Man, I am much more confident with, but you'll have to wait until tomorrow.

Company of Wolves

Company of wolves , as it suggests in the title, tells the same messge over and over- Inside every man is a wolf, and inside every wolf is a man as 'the Grandmother' in the film says: "A wolf maybe more than he seems, he may come in many desguises. The worst kind of wolves are hairy on the inside, because when they bite you, they drag you with them to hell!" These words, and the stories the Grandmother tells about 'the young groom' frightens her grandaughter Rosaleen, who is then wary of a young village boy who increasimgly tries to become more and more friendly towards her.

'the groom, who is in mid transformation after pulling his skin off, sheding like a stange wolf-like lizard in anger at seeing his 'wife' has three children not by him.

As the film's origin is the classic fairy tale: Red Rideing Hood, it is impossible to leave out the classic red cloak that Rosaleen has been given to her by her loveing grandmother. the Red in the cloak stands out against the grey, green and browns of the backgrounds and sets of the film, putting a spotlight on Rosaleen.

As you can see, the background is pale, while rosaleen in in bright red. red is the only colour we reconsise straight away when we wake and has the longest wavelengh, makeing the cloak alsost dazaling.

In one scene of company of wolves, Rosaleen, trying to hide from a village boy, climbs a very tall pine tree, descovering a stork standing by a nest containing blue eggs, lipstick and a mirror. As rosaleen aporaches the nest, the stork flies off and the eggs hatch to reveal small grey fetus's. This big use of symbolism- the films main 'partner', symbolises that she can have these children, and she is not a child any longer.

Rosaleen prises the egg open further and takes the baby inside, smileing as she does so- reliseing that this could one day be her baby.