About the Author OUIL504

About the Author 

After the workshop, I started on character design as this is my favourite. Thinking about what I learnt about using different colour pallets, I tried to apply this to my work. What I found hard about this was trying not to copy what the characters look like in the film, as they are described quite differently looks-wise in the book. I also found myself doing quite Disney styled character faces, which I don't really like because it's not different and doesn't have any original punch. 

I then moved onto the Babel fish (my favourite character, mainly because it's not a person). I started drawing it quite normally, using the colours described in the book and experimenting with materials. 

I then got quite carried away/obsessed with this fish, and kept drawing.. and drawing.. and painting.. and paper cutting this weird little fish. 

All the while working out in my head what's the best way of drawing it in a simplest form that's easily recognisable and how to describe it's function. Also trying to look at different colours to see what ones work best together - especially as the final product is only two colours. 

But I had completely ignored the author, so I thought I should go back to him. Exploring his past life and facial structure. I then wanted to try and combine his face with quotes, trying to show the quote in with the composition. I struggle a lot with giving my work a meaning behind it, so I tried to focus on this more than having a pretty picture to look at. So I went with something simple that expressed what the quote was saying. Not like I actually did a good job on this, but I tried my best. I again tried sticking to two colours, because I thought using loads would be counter productive as I'd stray away from the brief. 

I started using gouache to create these linear based faces, which I really like. I always draw faces realistically which especially for this project just isn't necessary. So I like how I've kind of adapted my style to what's needed from me and not doing what I usually stubbornly do and just draw what I want. This face, I then realised, would work great in lino! So I explored further...

I created bigger faces in gouache and in pencil, looking more into the line structure of the face and how I can simplify features. But still doesn't have any meaning behind it! Errrrrr so annoying!

So I experimented a further to try and combine parts if the story into the contours of his face so it has a lot more meaning to it! Yaaaay!

I then did a lino cut just with the lines and circles without the story in the face just to see what it would look like. Especially as I have never done a lino print before, so thought best to do something more basic to start with. Which, I don't think turned out thaat bad.. but I was really impatient and used acrylic which I have now learned never to do again as it dries far too quickly.. But you can still see the shapes and what I was trying to create. 

Now I'm trying to create different stories I want in the face -  his life, the characters in the book, motifs, locations etc.  First by drawing them out, then paper cutting to see if a lino cut would work!