Concept art for the monsters.
Studio – Hand and Eyes
Sketchbook and development of the story.
Studio – Hand and Eyes
Chapter 9:
Nothing is more painful to the human mind than, after the feelings have been worked up by a quick succession of events, the dead calmness of inaction and certainty which follows and deprives the soul both of hope and fear. (Mary Shelley, Frankenstein. 1818)
The assignment required we used only dry medium. I was looking to great a foggy ambiance, as if all the neighbour and figures watching the main character were undefined, and all similar. They could all phase into one. Plus the mist, or the fog is omnipresent and can sneak in everywhere.
I tried using markers but the result was too sharp for what I wanted to make. I wasn’t able to blend them the way I wanted.
Colour pencil were more appropriate for the project. I was able to create more subtle nuances, and the result fitted with my expectation.
Studio – Hand and Eyes
Chapter 5:
It was on a dreary night of November that I beheld the accomplishment of my toils. With an anxiety that al- most amounted to agony, I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet. (Mary Shelley, Frankenstein. 1818)
From the beginning, I had a clear idea of the atmosphere I want to create. The song reminded me of industrial and mechanical ambiance, but had a very monotonous tone. I was looking for colours representing this sensation I felt while listening to it.
The blue though, was an obvious choice due to the mention of “the blue light of a TV” in the song. I chose a vivid light blue to represent it.
I tried using warm greys and sepia at first but the tone was too warm, and didn’t represented well the cold and mechanical aspect of the song. I settled with a light and a dark grey to create contrast.
CTS – Publication Review
In this post, I will review about an album leaflet in three steps: a description, the context and a short analyse of the leaflet.
This is a four pages booklet of Ghost’s album “Prequelle”. The artwork was designed by the artist Zbigniew M. Bielak. The font cover represents a pope sat on the throne that turns into a rat-like gate to hell. Gigantic wings and cathedrals tops surrounds the pope. The drawing only uses grey and red tones. On the back cover, all the song are listed with a triptych of hellish scenes, monsters, saints and the three popes of the band. The booklet also contains the lyrics of all the song written in a gothic font, and a photography of the band, introducing the new “cardinal”.
“Prequelle” is the fourth studio album of the Swedish metal band “Ghost”. The band has a strong visual identity and concept composed of anti-clerical or satanic imagery. The singer dresses as a “demonic anti-pope” and all the musician, or “nameless ghouls”, wear masks. The band aesthetic goes against the catholic church and seems to preaches a satanist message, though, this is just the iconography not an actual belief from the band. The artist Zbigniew M. Bielak worked with the band since their second album “Infestissumam” and designed most of their artworks (from album covers to the stage design). In the story arc, “Prequelle” introduce Cardinal Copia, the replacement of Papa Emeritus III, as new blood was needed (check out the youtube channel). The album centres around the black plague that strike Europe during the middle age. It hints on how now beliefs and lies spreads and contaminates people like an illness.
The artwork of the front cover is clearly inspired by paintings from Hieronymus Bosch and Bruegel. The artwork contains a lot of biblical references, like the three cross on the right side, or the churches. But the nightmarish vision of the rat’s mouth and fiery colours reminds of hell more than heaven. We see dead people being carried away by skeletons with is a classical representation of Death during the middle age. In gothic art, there are multiple representations of religious figures, sometimes defeating the forces of hell, and multiple monster, like the gargoyles. The image uses religious undertone but turns them inside out. On the back, there is triptych, which is often use to represent saints, or holy subject. The disproportion of the characters and the building reminds of the medieval religious art. The lyrics are written like bible verse, using a gothic front, like the first printed bibles. The photography puts Cardinal Copia in the foreground while the nameless ghouls watches over him, which serves perfectly as an introduction for him. Overall, the leaflet really shows the visual identity of the band, and especially what the album is about. It is sure not for people easily shocked or offended by religious subject. The artwork correspond to the genre, as you would expect to find this album at the Metal aisle of HMV. The long lasting collaboration between the artist and the band created a recognisable imagery that suits the band and its concept perfectly.
More info and references:
https://www.behance.net/zbigniewbielak/
Roberts, K. (1971) Bruegel. Phaidon, Oxford.
Fisher, S. (2016) Hieronimus Bosch. Taschen, Spain
Studio – Hand and Eye
Chapter 4:
From this day natural philosophy, and particularly chemistry, in the most comprehensive sense of the term, became nearly my sole occupation. I read with ardour those works, so full of genius and discrimination, which modern inquirers have written on these subjects. (Mary Shelley, Frankenstein. 1818)
At first, I thought about illustrating the story of the song literally : a house with someone building a strange machine with the neighbours watching him through their blinds.
But when I drew the neighbour through the blind, I transformed the blind into a ribcage. It lead me to reinterpret the story a different way.
Metaphorically, a house could represent yourself. The song’s theme is the way others look at you, and the way they judge you if you are not like them. I emphasized the eyes and the number of people looking at the subject.
I decided to work with different grey to give a monotonous aspect to the image. Only the TV blue mentioned in the song stands out and differentiate the main character from the others.
Studio – Hand and Eye – Jukebox
Chapter 2:
We were brought up together; there was not quite a year difference in our ages. I need not say that we were strangers to any species of disunion or dispute. Harmony was the soul of our companionship, and the diversity and contrast that subsisted in our characters drew us nearer together. (Mary Shelley, Frankenstein. (1818))
As the name suggests, it was time to ad some music to the project. We were given a list of songs to choose from. The goal was to put our monster in a context and a story inspired by the chosen song.
I picked “What’s He Building?” by Tom Waits.
The songs resembles to a story told, with strange noises in the back, with old monotonous industrial sounds. It gives the song an eery and strange atmosphere.
The lyrics can be found here: https://genius.com/Tom-waits-whats-he-building-lyrics
The song speaks from the point of view of nosy neighbours, spying on one “weird” man living alone. throughout the song, the rumours grow stronger and stronger, leading to the neighbours’ fear and nervousness. The end of the song suggest the neighbours will take action to uncover the true nature of the man’s actions.
I was also touched by the song “Samson” by Regina Spektor.
Studio – Hand and Eye
Letter 1 :
You will rejoice to hear that no disaster has accompanied the commencement of an enterprise which you have regarded with such evil forebodings. I arrived here yesterday, and my first task is to assure my dear sister of my welfare and increasing confidence in the success of my undertaking. (Mary Shelley, Frankenstein. 1818 )
First of all, class. I attended lesson and was greeted by the teacher showing with diverse pictures of monsters, frankensteins and other horrors. (Though, when I saw that the most horrifying pictures was from the show “Walking Dead”, I realised I was truly desensitised and had spend too much time on the internet.) From Hannah Hocke to Kara Walker, the teacher encouraged us for the next exercise to explore our deepest fears.
Not a minute after, all the students are lying down, silhouetting their body on white paper.
The floor is covered by drawn life size human shapes, as if it was the theatre of morbid crime. The next step was to fill these empty body with what we feared the most. I forgot my drawing tools at home, but I manage to complete it within the time allowed with a graphite pen.
My monster is a composition of most of my fears or troubles at the time. From head to toe.
The hair for me is a symbol of strength and beauty, it ornate the face like a frame and it is the first things that interacts with the others. Here, it is made with fake crazy laughter (humour/armour) and reprimands.
There is only one eye, wide open in fear, the throat torn open exposing the vocals chords but no mouth. the tools for communication are presents on the inside, there is something to say, but it never reaches the outside. The sound is trapped inside the body. Without the possibility to express itself, the figure is powerless, seeing everything but unable to act.
Also, the throat has been sliced, as if the sound was redirected out in an unnatural way, a forced way out. Somehow, it’s about freedom of speech, you can say what you want as long as it fits everyone else opinions.
The fingers are cut, the hand is wounded and useless. I’m really afraid of hurting my hands and losing its capabilities.
There is a monster inside the ribcage: we’re ugly on the inside and we’re all monsters. There is something hidden away in us. The bones of the ribcage and else where refers to anorexia.
Old wound not healed and St-Michel are too personal to be able to talk about it
Veins are anxiety, they choke the body and the mind. It feels like they shrink from the inside and paralyse the muscle. As long as I remember, I’ve always been afraid of seeing my veins through my skin and everything related to blood transfusion.
The roots/tentacles on the legs are my fear of being trapped or motionless. When tangled in the ground, you are forced to become stagnant. I guess it could be also that I am afraid of my roots and where I come from.
In the end, was born our monster.
“IT’S ALIVE !”