His Dark Materials - Research & Development

His Dark Materials •

Research & development book contextual research concept art film & animation philosophy & themes

Pre-Major Project - Level 6 ‘His Dark Materials’ by Daniel French

This page: photograph of the Aroura Borealis by unknown photographer.

Contents Introduction

...2

Overview

. . . 4 - 13

Proposal Rough

. . . 14 -15

Submission Outline

. . . 16-17

Learning Agreement

. . . 18-23

Concept art

. . . 25

Bioshock Infinite

. . . 28 - 35

How To Train Your Dragon

. . . 36 - 43

Mad Max Fury Road

. . . 37 - 51

Comics/Graphic Novels

. . . 52

The Wicked + The Divine

The Sleeper and the Spindle

. . . 54 - 61

Personal response

. . . 70

. . . 62 - 69

Initial Response . . . 72 - 75 His Dark Instruments

. . . 76 - 77

Digital Colouring

. . . 78 - 79

Book Cover Designs

. . . 80 - 81

Northern Lights

. . . 82 - 85

The Subtle Knife

. . . 86 - 89

The Amber Spyglass

. . . 90 - 93

Book Trilogy Case

. . . 94 - 96

Final Outcome

. . . 96 - 97

Evaluation

. . . 98 - 99

Above: final digitally coloured alethiometer illustration.

His Dark Materials •

Pre-Major Project Name: Daniel French Course: Ba (Hons) Illustration Level: 6 Unit: Pre-Major Project Ref. number:

ILL651

Credit points:

20

Weighting:

1.0

Duration:

9 weeks

Study hours:

200 hours

Commences: 29 September 2015 Deadline: 4th December 2015 Unit Leader:

Joel Lardner

Initial Ideas Medium: Graphic novel / book illustration Source material: His Dark Materials book

series by Philip Pullman Genre(s): Fantasy, mythology, steampunk, alternate worlds Influences: Nordic culture & mythology, steampunk, fairytale genre, religion

This page: Victorian futurism / steampunk artwork by unknown artist

Outcomes: Concept art, storyboarding, character design

Overview •

My overall intent for Level 6 is to create a visual, narrative-driven response to a novel source material.

At this initial stage in idea generation for my Pre-Major Project, I have chosen the His Dark Materials book series by Philip Pullman as the primary source material to which I will create one of the following responses:

Concept 1: Graphic novelisation of Northern Lights For my Pre-Major Project, I will fully conceptualise characters, settings and narrative sequences in the form of storyboarding for specific passages from the first novel in the His Dark Materials trilogy, Northern Lights. Due to the depth and intensity of the material, and its nature as a full-length novel, I will not be able to adapt Northern Lights in its entirety. Instead, I intend to choose a number of specific passages for rough storyboarding in preparation of fully rendering these narrative sequences in the style of a graphic novel for my Final Major Project. These passages will likely cover individual chapters.

Concept 2: Graphic novelisation of His Dark Materials supplemental material Rather than adapting individual chapters from Northern Lights for the graphic novel medium, I will adapt a shorter story set within the His Dark Materials universe, such as the prequel short story Once Upon a Time in the North or Lyra’s Oxford. This will be more realistic to achieve and will result in a cohesive and less dense narrative experience. However, I have not yet read either of these stories at this point in my study and I am much more interested in illustrating aspects and events of the main series.

Concept 3: Inside and jacket cover design illustrations for Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass I will create a series of internal illustrations for the purposes of publication within passages of text for the three main titles in the His Dark Materials series: Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass, as well as book cover jacket designs and, potentially, a hard-cover case for the trilogy in its entirety. These internal illustrations would relate to specific events and narrative sequences; I would aim to produce at least 5 per title, with each illustration spread generously throughout the text, covering various scenarios, characters and events. Meanwhile, the cover designs would serve as more broad and suggestive illustrations with accomodations for title, author name etc. Though this option would be less sequentially narrative-driven, the result would be much more cohesive and achievable, with a stronger professional presentation. For my Pre-Major Project I would select passages of text for illustration, create concept art for related characters, settings and objects, and create rough preliminary sketches for each illustration ready for inking and final rendering for my Final Major Project.

This page: woodcut illustration by Gustave Doré from John Milton’s Paradise Lost.

His Dark Materials •

is an epic trilogy of novels including Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass written by Philip Pullman. The series explores concepts of physics, theology and philosophy while telling the coming of age story of two children, Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry, who each originate from different universes and strive to overthrow the plans of the totalitarian Magesterium, a theocratic religious body and international organisation with parallels to the Catholic Church of our own world.

The first novel in the trilogy, Northern Lights, introduces an Earth similar to our own but with many key differences.

Most notably, humans are born with their souls living outside of their bodies, which take the form of shapeshifting animals known as daemons. The plot of the first novel largely regards the nature of the relationship between humans and their daemons, particularly the fact that they lose their ability to transform once a child reaches puberty, thereafter settling into a singular animal form that reflects upon a person’s personality in adulthood.

This phenomena is connected to the mysterious elemental particle known as Dust, which is attracted to life and which the Magesterium Church believes to be the physical manifestation of Original Sin and determines to eradicate. Dust is integral to the sttructure of the multiverse featured in the His Dark Materials series, and is the main point of contention between the many forces at play as the trilogy moves torward its epic climax in The Amber Spyglass.

Philip Pullman

The world of Northern Lights, where most of the main characters in the series originate and where the main story is instigated, is highly reminiscent of Victorian England in aesthetic and technology. While automobiles and fixedwing aircrafts have not been invented, zeppelins are noted as a major mode of transport, meanwhile certain parallels to our own world exist in the form of differences in titling of phenomena and physics (electricity is known as anbaricity, etc.). These difference are attributed in part to the religious influence of the Magesterium over the sciences.

The story of Northern Lights begins when Lyra Belacqua, a young orphan girl who lives at Jordan College in Oxford, England and her daemon Pantalaimon spy on her uncle Lord Asriel meeting with members of the college and the Magesterium to present his observations of Dust from a recent expedition to the arctic circle, with the intention of recieving funding for a programme to research into its connection to daemons and the aurora borealis. Asriel’s findings are rejected as heresy, the Magesterium denying his claim that the phenomena captured on film is Dust pouring in through the auora borealis from another world. Shortly after, Lyra incidentally saves Asriel’s life when she witnesses a Magesterium official slip poison into his drink.

Above: re-edition of original Northern Lights book cover.

This page: woodcut illustration from Paradise Lost by Gustave Doré.

Meanwhile, Lyra’s servant friend Rodger is apparently kidnapped by a group of child thieves known as ‘gobblers’. Though she means to find him, Lyra is recruited by the elusive Mrs Coulter to accompany her on an expedition to see the aurora borealis. Shortly before her departure, she is gifted a remarkable truth-telling instrument known as the alethiometer, by one of the college’s scholars. It is explained that only a rare few exist in the world and that even fewer are able to read it; the instrument resembles a compass, which is guided by the mind posing a question and the answer given in a sequence of symbols navigated by two compass hands.

The plot of Northern Lights follows Lyra as she embarks across her Universe and, finally, to the bridge between Universes ultimately made by Lord Asriel in the pursuit of a means to bring down the Magesterium and locate the source of Dust. In subsequent novels, the religious elements of the narrative take greater precedence, with maturer themes and cosmic concepts coming into play.

Above: Penguin Classics edition of John Milton’s Paradise Lost.

His Dark Materials is greatly influenced

by John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost, which is itself a retelling of Man's fall from the Garden of Eden. Pullman’s trilogy includes many intentional parallels to Paradise Lost, with elements of the poem serving as premise for the series itself.

Paradise Lost â€

is an epic poem by 17th century poet John Milton, initially published in 1667 and consisting of ten books with over ten thousand lines of blank verse. The poem concerns the Biblical story of the Fall of Man, with Milton's purpose, as stated in Book I, being to "justfy the ways of God to Men". The story covers the temptation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden by the fallen angel Satan, and is a major source of inspiration and influence for Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy of contemporary high fantasy novels.

Separated into twelve "books", Paradise Lost follows two narrative arcs: Satan's (or Lucifer's) plan to poison the newly created Earth and Mankind after he and the other rebel angels have been defeated and banished to Hell (or Tartarus); and later, the temptation in the Garden of Eden of Adam and Eve by Satan in the guise of the serpent. Throughout the poem, an Angelic War over Heaven is recounted from differing perspectives, forming a premise wherein God creates the World after single-handedly defeating the entire legion of rebel angels, culminating in the creation of Adam and Eve. Milton's material is noted for its more literal and "honest" approach to its Biblical source material; the characters of Adam and Eve are given distinct personalities for the first time, and Satan is portrayed as charasmatic and skilled in rhetoric, a skill which he uses to successfully tempt Eve into eating from the forbidden Tree of Knowledge. After this, Adam and Eve have lustful intercourse, but in their wake begin to feel guilt and shame for the first time. This is known as the "original Sin", for it is the first time that an order from God has been disobeyed, and results in the casting out of Man from the Garden of Eden and God's omnipresent but invisible presence in the material world from thereon.

Dust Dust •

John Milton

The concept of Original Sin is integral to Pullman's His Dark Materials. Though also referenced explicitly, as is much of

Milton's prose, it is primarily present in the form 'Dust', an elemental particle which is strongly connected to the structure of the multiverse and to the nature of Man. The Magesterium believes that it is because of the Original Sin that Dust was let into the world, and that it settles on young children and their daemons so as to infect them with negative thoughts and urges such as lust and greed. In order to combat the effects of Dust, the Magesterium sets up the General Oblation Board to kidnap children for an experiment in severing the link between a person and their daemon, known as 'intercision'. The process leaves children whose daemons have already "settled" (an implication of puberty) comatose and without emotion, whereas those whose daemon has not soon die.

Pullman's interpretation of Milton's material and the depiction of the Church itself has been highly controversial, with many viewing it as in favour with Sin. Pullman himself has stated that he is "of the Devil's party and does know it", referencing a quote by William Blake (who illustrated Paradise Lost more than any other artist) regarding Milton, where the opposite is implied. Whereas Paradise Lost illustrates the seductive nature of Sin and the more benevolent nature of God (known tellingly as the Authority in Pullman's work), His Dark Materials subverts these connotations, actively showing the corruptive ways of the Church versus the implicit nature of man to "sin". In His Dark Materials, the protagonists - who are children - strive to protect the source of Dust from adults who believe it to be purely destructive and negative. Pullman goes so far as to include a quote from a character stating "That's what the Church does, and every church is the same: control, destroy, obliterate every good feeling".

Previous page, above & inset: Gustave DorÊ woodcut illustrations from John Milton’s Paradise Lost.

Similarly to the concept of Dust, Pullman also takes several implications from Paradise Lost and crafts them into integral elements of his work. One such example is the existence of numerous parallel universes, where Man exists in various forms (some with daemons, some without, and some where Man is absent

His Dark Materials •

in the place of other creatures). Pullman takes this concept from the same passage that the title for his trilogy is taken: Unless th' Almighty Maker them ordain His dark materials to create more Worlds Pullman's original name for the series, The Golden Compasses, is also a reference to Paradise Lost, where they denote God's circle-drawing instrument to establish and set the bounds of all creation: He took the golden compasses, prepared In God's eternal circumscribe

store,

to

This universe, and all created things The passage also serves as the inspiration for the alethiometer, a truth-telling instrument in His Dark Materials belonging to the protagonist Lyra Belacqua. The instrument plays a large role in advancing the story, both in terms of physical events and Lyra's progression as a character. Guided by the influence of Dust, the alethiometer is apparently only able to be read by those of a clear mind and intuitve nature; importantly, Lyra is the only character who is able to read it fluently, though she loses the ability at the end of the series after reaching puberty and her deamon, Pantalaimon, has settled into a singular form.

DÌmons •

Philip Pullman

Daemons are an original concept to Pullman's material, which was instead inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's Lady with an Ermine (1489-90, seen top left opposite), where the presence of the ermine has been interpreted as significant in that it depicts a traditional symbol of purity because it was believed an ermine would face death rather than soil its white coat. This essence of purity is particularly appropriate for the nature of a daemon, which portrays a person's soul and which is able to transform into any creature (extant or fictional) at will prior to puberty, after which innocence

is lost. The relationship between people and their daemons, which only appear in the world of Northern Lights, is incredibly important to the story and has implications for characters in worlds beyond. Will Parry, the secondary protagonist who first appears in The Subtle Knife, is born of our own real world and as such posseses no daemon, but after travelling through multiple Universes and meeting the daemons of others he is eventually able to see his own; it is implied that people from all worlds do in fact have daemons, but not all are immediately visible or tangible.

As symbols of purity in the case of children, daemons present a physical victim for the corruptive nature of the Magesterium. In the premise of His Dark Materials, which is in itself an interpretation of Paradise Lost, those from the world of Northern Lights believe that daemons did not exist before Adam and Eve fell to temptation, and as such, they are the result of Sin and perhaps God's way of presenting Man with an everlasting reminder of their wrongdoing; to be parted from one's daemon is extremely painful and can even result in death, except for in the case of witches, whose daemons can travel far from them for long periods of time. Despite this, daemons serve as as life-long companions to humans, with their physical "settled" form usually reflecting on their person's personality.

In Northern Lights, Iofur Raknison, king of the panserbjørne (intelligent, speaking polar bears) desires nothing more than to have a daemon of his own, a desire Lyra is able to exploit when she is taken prisoner en route to Lord Asriel's experimental station on Svalbard.

Northern Lights •

Left opposite: Gustave Doré woodcut illustration from John Milton’s Paradise Lost; above: Da Vinci's Lady with an Ermine; inset: photograph of the aurora borealis by Gaute Bruvik.

The aurora borealis is of great significance to the plot of His Dark Materials, as it is where the borders between universes are weakest and, consequently, where Dust pours through into the worlds. The latter part of Northern Lights concerns Lyra's journey through the far north and

His Dark Materials •

finally to the "bridge to the stars", a portal between worlds opened by Lord Asriel by harnessing the link between Roger (Lyra's friend) and his daemon, killing him in the process. With the climax of Northern Lights, the narrative begins to travel between Universes, introducing characters from our own Earth and instigating a closer parallel with Paradise Lost, including a retelling of the Adam and Eve storyline wherein Lyra and Will play these roles, and Mary Malone, a former Catholic nun who now researches the nature of "shadows" (the real-Earth terminology for Dust), plays the role of the serpent.

Personal Response •

Following thorough research into Pullman's material and influences, I am now at the point in my project where I can begin to think about the approach I will take in responding to text with imagery and illustration.

I have previously generated three separate concepts for the nature of my approach (graphic novelisation; graphic novelisation of supplemental material; book illustrations), with my next step being to research into developing a visual language to interpret the text with. I am also considering which elements of the text I am drawn to the most, and whether these are elements which reflect appropriately on the source material in terms of professional considerations such as audience, time frame, medium and outcome.

This page: woodcut illustration by Gustave DorĂŠ from Paradise Lost.

Currently, I am decided on my third concept: creating inside and jacket cover illustrations for each of the titles in the His Dark Materials trilogy. I am drawn to this option as it will allow me to depict key moments from across the series, instead of selecting a specific passage with less context or cohesive manner of presentation. Rather than simply illustrating events as described in the text, however, I am considering illustrating specific visual elements, artefacts and characters as a means of

supporting a publication of the text with realistic visual representations of certain things. This choice also lends itself to my detailed style of drawing, and the fact that I feel less confident in drawing characters and narrative scenes, though I still want to attempt this and improve my ability to do this.

The Golden Compass •

is a 2007 British-American fantasy-adventure film directed Chris Weitz and based on the first novel in the His Dark Materials trilogy

by Philip Pullman, Northern Lights. Though it has some impressive visuals and good casting, the film adaptation is, in my opinion, an unsuccessful translation of the source material from one medium to another. In adapting Northern Lights for illustrative means, it is important to note that I will not be looking to The Golden Compass for inspiration; a majority of the important philosophical subjects are overlooked or watered down substantially so as to cater to a controversy-free release and reception, much unlike the book series, which owed much of its popularity to its thought-provoking themes and imaginative premise.

Inset: film poster for NewLine Cinema's The Golden Compass.

Above: Folio Society edition of the His Dark Materials trilogy.

For example, from the initial conception of my project, I have had the strong intention to illustrate the objects of titular importance in the series: the alethiometer (or the Golden Compass as Northern Lights is known in the US), the subtle knife (also known as Æsahættr) and the amber spyglass. Upon further consideration of this method of illustrating the story, I also have an interest in depicting artefacts such as the sky armour of the panserbjørne, the emblem and clothing of the Magesterium, and other visual elements of this alternate Universe. In this manner, I would incoroporate imagery into the text without explicitly depicting events as they are described, perhaps highlighting a "background" element or other aspect. I could however still illustrate events as well, but in a manner that draws attention to something that is not explicitly being described by Pullman already. The cover designs could be of a similar style, depicting artefacts or locations of importance, rather than simply the titular objects themselves.

Pre-Major Project • His Dark Materials · Concept art · Book illustration · Paradise Lost · Cover design · Northern Lights · The Subtle Knife · The Amber Spyglass

His Dark Materials

At this early stage in conceptual development for my Pre-Major Project - and, by extension, my subsequent Final Major Project - I have decided on my third initial concept in response to the source material of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, though with some amendments. The initial concept is as follows:

Initial concept 3: Inside and jacket cover design illustrations for Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass.

This page: photograph of the aurora borealis

by Gaute Bruvik.

I will create a series of internal illustrations for the purposes of publication within passages of text for the three main titles in the His Dark Materials series: Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass, as well as book cover jacket designs and, potentially, a hard-cover case for the trilogy in its entirety. These internal illustrations would relate to specific events and narrative sequences; I would aim to produce at least 5 per title, with each illustration spread generously throughout the text, covering various scenarios, characters and events.

Meanwhile, the cover designs would serve as more broad and suggestive illustrations with accomodations for title, author name etc. Though this option would be less sequentially narrativedriven, the result would be much more cohesive and achievable, with a stronger professional presentation. For my PreMajor Project I would select passages of text for illustration, create concept art for related characters, settings and objects, and create rough preliminary sketches for each illustration ready for inking and final rendering for my Final Major Project.

Learning Agreement Proposal Short Rough

Following extensive research and tutorials regarding my source material and initial intentions for my Pre-Major Project, and beyond to my Final Major Project, I have amended my previous concept to accomodate for recent suggestions made to me in regards to the nature of my intended book illustrations and how they can serve the story, among other factors including audience, etc.

Inside and jacket cover design illustrations for Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass.

For my Pre-Major Project, I will research extensively into my chosen source material of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy of high fantasy novels, looking into the author's influences and inspirations, as well as external sources of various mediums of narrative including film, animation, video games and more so as to inform my intention to create inside and book jacket illustrations for Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass in my subsequent Final Major Project.

I will compile this research into a process book, featuring relevant concept art, storyboarding, graphic novel panels and more. This will inform my Pre-Major Project ambition of creating a set number of book illustration roughs for each of the titles in the His Dark Materials trilogy, though for the purposes of producing a cohesive body of work for submission in this instance, I will also now create final companion illustrations for the novels that will serve to depict objects, artefacts and elements of the source material in a real-world manner, rendered in my personal high-detail graphic style of illustration. These smaller illustrations will require less time to compose and will not depict events of narrative sequences; instead, these will be presented in the form of preliminary sketches for more intense illustrations for final rendering in my Final Major Project. This will also mean to prevent any changes in plans for my Final Major Project down the line negatively affecting my submission for the current project.

Inset: Folio Society editions of the His Dark Materials trilogy.

Final Outcome •

The final outcome for my Level 6 experience will include: rough conceptual artwork for the book universe; non-narrative artefact, location and character vignette book illustrations; preliminary roughs for a series of narrative book illustrations for each title; preliminary roughs for book jacket cover designs for each title and trilogy case; final full-composition series of book illustrations per title; final book cover jacket designs for each title and trilogy case design with visual mock-up presentations.

Plan of Action • Preliminary roughs · Book cover jackets · Book illustrations · Vignettes · Northern Lights · The Subtle Knife · The Amber Spyglass

Visual Research

In support of my ambition to create an original and considered visual response to the rich mythology and multiverse established by uthor Philip Pullman in the His Dark Materials series, I intend to look to various relevant sources and forms of visual reference for inspirition.

Having previously analysed the complicated source material and its influences, incuding John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost, I have identified a number of core themes and visual staples that I want to explore. These include philosophical concepts such as religious opression, destiny, and free will; as well as aesthetic staples such as steampunk imagery, Nordic mythology, Renaissanceera influences, and more. For the purposes of interpreting these various subjects in a unique way - and without drawing inspiration from or comparisons to the unsuccessful film adaptation of Northern Lights, New-Line Cinema's 2007 film The Golden Compass - I have selected certain films, video games and other mediums of narrative storeytelling for my ongoing visual research for the Pre-Major Project.

These include: • Bioshock Infinite (video game; steampunk imagery, alternate worlds, supernatural elements) • How to Train Your Dragon 2 (animated film; nordic mythology, fictional culture, nordic setting) • Mad Max Fury Road (live-action film; dieselpunk imagery, dystopian setting, graphic visuals) • Avatar: The Last Airbender (animated TV-series; alternate world, fictional cultures, Nordic influence)

This page: concept art from The Art of How to Train Your Dragon 2.

• The Sleeper and the Spindle (graphic novel; fairytale genre, fantasy setting, graphic visuals)

• The Wicked + the Divine (comic; mythological influence, contemporary setting, colourful visuals) • Pan's Labyrinth (live-action film; dark fantasy genre, strong fairytale imagery, alternate worlds) This research will be compiled into this process book and be submitted as part of an ongoing project documenting my personal and professional development throughout the Level 6 experience. I will include the process book as it stands as part of my Pre-Major Project submission and also later, as a finalised documentation of research and personal response, for my Final Major Project submission at the end of the year. My intentions for compiling this process book, besides the purposes of visual research and production of visual responses, serve also to improve upon my skills for graphic design, particularly in regards to the programme InDesign, as I set myself up professionally for the end of my Illustration experience here at AUB and beyond, to subsequent career prospects.

Inset: concept art from The Art of How to Train Your Dragon 2.

Pre-Major Project Submission Outline • 6 artefact (non-narrative; diagrams, etc.) vignette-style finalised illustrations to be presented in professional mock-up with text placement.

(Self-contained submission for PMP) • 3 (total 9) composition roughs (pencilled) following narrative passages per title; Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife & The Amber Spyglass. Presented with relevant text passages. (Preparation for FMP) • 1 (total 3) book jacket cover composition rough (pencilled) per title; Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife & The Amber Spyglass. Including front, spine & back designs with mock-up. (Preparation for FMP) Supplemental work • 1 hard-cover book case composition rough (pencilled) for His Dark Materials trilogy with accomodations for size, previous book jacket cover roughs, etc.

(Preparation for FMP) • Process book incuding initial concepts, source material research and analysis, visual research and production of final submission work. (Ongoing)

Learning Agreement THE ARTS UNIVERSITY AT BOURNEMOUTH Learning Agreement

Name: Daniel French Course:

Ba (Hons) Illustration

Level: 6 Unit: Pre-Major Projectc Ref. number:

ILL651

Credit points:

20

Weighting:

1.0

Duration:

9 weeks

Study hours:

200 hours

Commences:

29 September 2015

Deadline:

4th December 2015

Unit Leader:

Joel Lardner

Synopsis of study For my Pre-Major Project I will be responding to Philip Pullman's epic fantasy trilogy of novels, His Dark Materials, including Northern Lights, The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass. Having responded to various narrative source materials in previous projects, I have found that it is a medium I greatly enjoy interpreting via visual means and that I want to continue exploring in greater depth for my final Level 6 experience. In particular, I am drawn to the fantasy genre and mythology, as well as the concept of alternate worlds and the cosmic. His Dark Materials suits these genres perfectly, and is a source material that I am already familiar with and which has inspired much of my work in the past.

Previously, I have responded to narrative in the mediums of book illustration, graphic novelisation and animation. For my Pre-Major Project, I want to submit a self-contained project responding to His Dark Materials, while also preparing for my Final Major Project. I will do this by producing illustrations depicting artefacts and objects from the multiverse featured in His Dark Materials, presented in the context of the series with professional layout mock-ups; meanwhile, I will create rough composition designs for larger-scale illustrations responding to narrative passages and events, as well as book

Inset: concept art from The Art of Bioshock Infinite.

cover jacket designs, for final rendering in my subsequent FMP. The purpose of creating both final and preliminary illustrations for my PMP is to prevent any changes in plans regarding my FMP from negatively affecting my submission now, as the vignette-style artefact illustrations will stand as a separate and cohesive body of work.

I will render these illustrations in my personal high-detail pen line-work style, though with some alterations for their context, as the illustrations will be presented as in-Universe and therefore digitally manipulated, for example, so as to appear in the form of a newspaper clipping or other manner. These illustrations will be submitted in digital and printed mock-ups of page layouts with accommodation for source material text and other visual aspects.

In responding to His Dark Materials, I am aware of the existent connotations of the text in regards to the unsuccessful film adaptation of the first novel in the trilogy, Northern Lights, New-Line cinema's 2007 film The Golden Compass. As such, I intend to avoid comparison to the film by looking at the source material’s influences, including John Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost, as well as other external sources in film, animation and literature, so as to produce an original visual response with key identifiable themes and aesthetic staples. I will also implement visuals referencing the series' strong mythological and religious undertones, such as Norse mythology, a subject I have existent personal interest in.

This visual research will include concept art, storyboarding, character design and more, thereby informing my ability to conceptualise the grand and cosmic nature of my chosen source material.

These sources include concept art books for Bioshock Infinite, How to Train Your Dragon, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Mad Max Fury Road, and graphic novels and comics including The Sleeper and the Spindle and The Wicked + the Divine.

Target audience is also a factor that I have considered. Philip Pullman's literary material has a defined audience of the ages 11 and above, due to its fantasy genre and child protagonists, although its handling of mature themes and complex, religiously influenced nature also appeals to young adults and adults, for whom its deeper connotations are intended. I intend to produce work for a slightly older target audience at 13/14+ as I intend to respect the mature nature of the text both in terms of aesthetic and the scenes I will depict visually. This intention is along the lines of the Folio Society edition of the series.

This brief will apply my developing illustrative and design abilities to the context of book illustration and to the genres of narrative and storytelling that appeal to me personally, providing a suitable and engaging vehicle for my work as I move towards the culmination of my experience studying illustration at AUB.

Aims A1

To provide further opprtunities for extended independent study

A2

To encourage me to focus opon an individual project as a means of exploring and clarifying concerns for the remainder of my Level 6 studies

Learning Agreement A3

To consolidate my ability to respond to the inter-relationship between theory and practice

Learning Outcomes L01

Demonstrate the ability to develop a sustained piece of independent creative work

L02

Clarify theoretical and practical areas for exploration during the subsequent Major Project in relation to your self-development and vocational aspirations

L03

Demonstrate my bility to develop creative work which responds to theoretical issues and questions

Assessment Components Preliminary concept sketchbooks, final rendered artefact illustrations (minimum 6), preliminary composition sketches in preparation of FMP (minimum 2 per title, total 6), preliminary book jacket cover designs in preparation of FMP (total 3), process book documenting research and production of work.

(Tutor Assessed) 100%

References Bernstein, A. (2015). The Art of Mad Max Fury Road. London: Titan Books Konietzko, B. & DiMartino, M.D. (2010). Avatar: The Last Airbender. The Art of the Animated Series. Milwaukie: Mike Richardson McKelvie, G. & Cowles, W. (2014) The Wicked + the Divine. California: Image Comics Inc. Milton, J. (1667). Paradise Lost. England: Samuel Simmons.

Sunshine, L. (2014). The Art of How to Train Your Dragon 2. London: Titan Books Gaiman, N. (2014). The Sleeper and the Spindle. London: Bloomsbury Pullman, P. (1995). Northern Lights. London: Scholastic Ltd Pullman, P. (1997). The Subtle Knife. London: Scholastic UK Ltd.

Inset: photograph of the aurora borealis by Gaute Bruvik.

Pullman, P. (2000). The Amber Spyglass. London: Scholastic UK Ltd. Philip, R.S. (2013). The Art of Bioshock Infinite. Milwaukie: Mike Richardson

Action Plan 29th September – 2nd October 2015

•

Pre-Major Project briefing

•

Initial concepts & research for Pre-Major Project and Investigative Study

•

Begin process book; research concept art, graphic novels, etc.

•

Start Learning Agreement for PMP

•

Sketch initial responses

5th October – Friday 9th October 2015

•

Group 3 idea seminar

•

Continue process book; source material research & analysis (His Dark Materials, Paradise Lost, etc.)

•

Finalise concept for PMP

•

Finish Learning Agreement for PMP

•

Sketch out initial ideas

Monday 12th October – Friday 16th October

•

Continue process book; (Bioshock Infinite, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Mad Max Fury Road, etc.)

•

Study source material, highlight passages for interpretations, etc.

•

Life drawing

•

Learning Agreement deadline on Friday 16th October

Learning Agreement •

Continue sketching, preparing for final artefact illustrations

•

Marina Munn lecture on Friday 16th October

Monday 19th October – Friday 23rd October 2015

• Begin artefact illustrations (alethiometer, æsahaettr, amber spyglass,panserbjørne armour etc.)

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Continue process book (graphic novels & comics; The Sleeper and the Spindle, The Wicked + the Divine, etc.)

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Begin sketching for FMP full composition illustrations

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Johnny Clapham “Your Mascot” workshop on Friday 23rd

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Life drawing

Monday 26th October – Friday 30th October 2015

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Continue artefact illustrations

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Continue rough FMP sketches

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Continue process book (personal work progress; artefact illustrations for PMP, preparatory illustrations for FMP)

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Easy writing seminars on Monday 26th October

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Reading group seminars at 11.00am on Tuesday 27th November

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Johnny Clapham “F.C.S.” workshop on Thursday 29th October

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Life drawing

Monday 2nd November – Friday 6th November 2015

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Critique on Tuesday 3rd November 2015

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Continue artefact illustrations (should have completed minimum of 2)

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Continue rough FMP sketches (should have completed 2 minimum)

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Continue process book

Inset: concept art from The Art of How to Train Your Dragon 2.

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Life drawing

Monday 9th November – Friday 13th November 2015

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Life drawing

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Continue artefact illustrations (should have completed 3 minimum)

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Continue preliminary FMP sketches (should have completed minimum 4)

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Design first book jacket cover

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Continue process book

Monday 16th November – Friday 20th November 2015

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Draft reading for IS

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Life drawing

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Continue artefact illustrations (should have completed minimum 5)

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Continue preliminary FMP sketches (should have completed all 6)

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Design second book jacket cover

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Continue process book

Monday 23rd November– Friday 27th November 2015

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Life drawing

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Complete 6th final artefact illustration

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Design 3rd & final book jacket cover

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Compile & finish process book

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Submit PMP for Friday 27th November deadline

Contextual research: concept art graphic novels comics character/setting design

This spread: panel 1, concept art from The Art of How to Train Your Dragon 2; panel 2, illustration by Chris Riddell from The Sleeper and the Spindle; panel 3, concept art from The Art of Bioshock Infinite; panel 4, illustration from The Wicked + the Divine.

Concept Art For the purposes of conceptualising a cohesive visual response to my chosen source material of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy of epic fantasy novels, I have looked to various examples of concept art from the mediums of film, video games and more.

This spread: concept art for the exterior of Valka's mountain fortress from The Art of How to Train Your Dragon 2.

Bioshock Infinite is a first-person shooter video game developed by Irrational Games and published by 2K Games. The third and most recent installment in the Bioshock franchise, the game is a breakthrough in art, story and sound direction for the medium, featuring a compelling and immersive fictional environment with a strong historical and political commentary.

This spread: concept art for the flying city of Columbia from The Art of Bioshock Infinite.

Bioshock Infinite

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Conextual research · Concept art · Alternate worlds · Steampunk aesthetic

is the final title by acclaimed video game developer Irrational Games. With an expanded look at the compelling themes first introduced in the original Bioshock, Infinite offers an immersive and convincing alternate reality that more than stands up to the legacy of its predecessor.

Bioshock Infinite presents a version of the early 1900s where American Exceptionalism produced the world’s greatest accomplishment, the floating city of Columbia, which offers a microcosm of society at its very highest - and, behind the beautiful facade, its very lowest. The game offers a fully realised culture and mythology, which are brought to life through strong visuals and characters.

For my Pre-Major Project, I will be looking primarily at the visual work produced by artists that is featured in the concept artbook The Art of Bioshock Infinite. Featuring a steampunk aesthetic and an array of parallel Universes, Bioshock Infinite offers a rich source of relevant reference and inspiration.

Promotional Art •

Above is an original Ken Levine illustration featured in the disc-case packaging of Bioshock Infinite, depicting the pivotal mechanical bird character Siren and the flying city of Columbia. To the right is a piece of early concept art for the same character, whose design implements submarine characteristics despite its aerial nature. This is due to the connection between Infinite and its predecessor Bioshock, which featured an underwater setting.

This page: promotoinal & concept art featuring the character Songbird from The Art of Bioshock Infinite.

This page: airship concept art from The Art of Bioshock Infinite.

Similarly to His Dark Materials, the primary setting of Infinite features an overarching steampunk aesthetic, due to its depiction of a world where Victorian Futurism has come to fruition for various reasons. The story of Bioshock Infinite covers many genres and themes, with a strong emphasis on destiny and the concept of alternate worlds, and the connection between these. In both series, however, the heart of the story is its characters, and the affect that their choices have on the outcome of their seemingly predestined paths; for Infinite, it is Booker DeWitt's repeated and unwitting attempts to save his daughter's life across several alternating Universes, whereas in His Dark Materials, it is Lyra Belacqua's fate to reenact the fall of Eve of Biblical prophecy.

Above: broach designs for Elizabeth's collar. The player decides which is worn in a demonstration of the game's choicebased nature, though these decisions prove to have no affect on the story's premeditated outcome.

Songbird • Songbird is the protector and watcher of the central character Elizabeth, who at the beginning of Infinite is imprisoned in a tower due to her world-bending powers. A figure of fear-inducing power, Songbird was designed so as to dominate the vast open skies featured in the setting of Columbia.

This page: still from the video game Bioshock Infinite.

Top image: promotional art showcasing the flying city of Columbia in its exceptional beauty; Bottom image: still from Bioshock Infinite showing Songbird destroying an enemy airship in the game's finale.

Columbia's facade of beauty versus its absolute political and supernatural corruption is a core concept and fundamental to the series' overarching focus on the doomed creative freedom of the fringe sciences.

Elizabeth •

is the secondary primary character of the game Bioshock Infinite and the player's foremost source of interaction and guidance, serving as a companion to the player character of Booker DeWitt and the story's emotional core. Due to her nearconstant presence, Elizabeth requried a strong character design, with several varying iterations and versions of her character and clothing being produced and considered during production of the game.

Elizabath's character is pivotal to the events of Bioshock Infinite. Ultimately revealed as the daughter of the player character who was stolen by a nefarious version of Booker from an alternate Universe, she has the initially inexplicable ability to open gateways into other worlds, a power for which she is imprisoned in a massive tower in Columbia and put under guard by the fearsome mechanical warden Songbird. When DeWitt frees her from her imprisonment early in the game, she experiences the outside world for the first time, applying her naive and optimistic nature to decisions regarding much darker and increasingly perilious events. Childlike yet resilient, Elizabeth equally chastises and guides DeWitt on their journey across Universes.

This page: costume designs for Elizabeth from The Art of Bioshock Infinite.

Graphic Propoganda • The Art of Bioshock Infinite features a section dedicated to graphic propoganda created in the context of the corrupt city of Columbia, depicting its patriotic and politically-influenced grip on its populices. These posters are displayed throughout the city and reinforce the increasing notion of misinformation and corruption as the player navigates the initially dream-like and pleasant setting for the first time in the game's opening.

As examples of artefacts conceptualised in the context of a source text, these propoganda give me exceptional inspiration for my ambition to create imagery depicting elements from His Dark Materials for my PMP as opposed to directly depicting events themselves.

Propoganda in particular could be applied to the theocratic order of the Magesterium in that context.

This page: contextual propoganda artwork from The Art of Bioshock Infinite.

How to Train Your Dragon

is a popular animated film and TV franchise based on the bestselling British children's book series by Cressida Cowell. The series presents a fictional Universe inspired by Nordic mythology, wherein dragons have been implemented into Viking culture. With a strong emphasis on Norse mythology, while also featuring a fictionalised version of historical events, How to Train Your Dragon is an excellent source of reference and research for my personal response to Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy of high fantasy novels.

This spread: concept art for the northern lands from The Art of How to Train Your Dragon 2.

How to Train Your Dragon I

s the story of one young misfit Viking named Hiccup, and his unlikely friend, a deadly rare "night fury" dragon whom he names Toothless. Set in a world where Vikings are pitted against dragons in an age-old war, How to Train Your Dragon explores first the taboo relationship between Hiccup and Toothless, and later, the much larger and more complicated relationship between Vikings and dragons in general as they learn to see eye to eye for the first time in their long history locked in combat.

For the purposes of visual research for my visual response to Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, I will be referencing my personal copy of The Art of How to Train Your Dragon 2 (the second title in the main film trilogy), looking into character and setting design, Nordic influence and art style. I am particularly interested in the Norse influence and locale, due to its relevance to the setting and aesthetic of Northern Lights I have in mind for my own illustrations. Similarly to His Dark Materials, How to Train Your Dragon offers a world where different cultures and mythologies are blended to create something new and visually creative, though in this case in the medium of a CG-animated film. Despite this medium, which is appropriate for the surprising scale and depth of the story considering its family-friendly-orientated genre, much of the concept art and visual style is influenced by traditional art and mythology.

Inset: concept art for Hiccup and Toothless by film series director Danny DeBlois.

Traditional Art

is prevalent in The Art of How to Train Your Dragon 2, along with digital paintings and CG renders based on a similar aesthetic. Film series director Danny DeBlois illustrates much of the character design concept art in watercolour, whereas primary concept artist Nico Marlet uses coloured pencils.

Inset: location concept art from The Art of How to Train your Dragon 2.

Hiccup •

is the central protagonist of the series.

Initially introduced as the awkward teenage son of Viking chief Stoic the Vast, Hiccup discovers that the foundations for his people's way of life is at fault when he befriends a seemingly deadly night fury, whom he names Toothless and cares for after shooting him down in an initial attempt to prove his true Viking, dragon-slaying spirit.

Whereas the first film explores the unlikely pair's friendship and the battle between VIkings and dragons, Hiccup ultimately succeeds in showing his tribe that there is nothing to fear in dragons - and by How to Train Your Dragon 2, set five years later, Hiccup is a respected dragon rider and set to become the next town chief, succeeding his father.

In a stylistic storytelling choice, Hiccup and his teenage friends have American accents, whereas the older generation of Vikings have strong Scottish ones.

Inset: concept art for Hiccup by Nico Marlet from The Art of How to Train Your Dragon 2. Behind: setting concept art from the same source material.

A Viking's World • In How to Train Your Dragon, we are first introduced to the franchise's alternate offering of Viking culture in Berk, an isle of Norse locale and mythology which serves as home to the bone-headed Vikings and is the main setting of the film. By way of making peace with the dragon 'infestation' on Berk in the first film, Hiccup and his fellow Vikings have taken to the skies by the sequel, opening up a whole new world of possibilities for locations and scenarios as the story progresses.

Noticeably, The Art of How to Train Your Dragon 2 has a wider selection of settings than its predecessor, which highlights on creature designs and art style as its visual anchor for introducing Berk. As almost every Viking character has a dragon companion by this point, those working on the film were able to be more creative with character moments in terms of setting, as well as action sequences, and more. A particular scene when Hiccup first encounters his supposedly-dead mother in the fog-shrouded skies highlights this, showcasing the range of lighting and environmental choices available for storytelling; for the sequel, filmmakers recreated the 'nightless' effect of the far Northern hemisphere, where the sun never quite sets, giving the film a more lifelike and dynamic quality compared to other brightly-lit and colourful CG animated films. The earthy and believable tones, yet still visually imaginative and reminiscent of Nico Marlet's lively colour pencil illustrations, compliment the increasing maturity and complexity of the franchise in both thematic and literal senses.

Inset: location concept art from The Art of How to Train your Dragon 2.

Inset: location concept art from The Art of How to Train your Dragon 2.

This considered and vast visual response to a core setting concept in relation to character, themes and storytelling presents a unique source of inspiration for my personal response to my chosen source material, His Dark Materials. The natural blending of elements from history and fiction to create a compelling and characterdriven story reflects well on the alternate Universe setting of His Dark Materials; for my response, I want to put a similar emphasis on location design in reflection of the epic scale of the story.

Right: concept art for Hiccup and Valka's first meeting; and below: location concept art from The Art of How to Train your Dragon 2.

Vikings & Dragons •

The world of How to Train Your Dragon is filled with colourful yet believable characters. Our main protagonists, the viking and dragon duo of Hiccup and Toothless, respectively, present characters from two sides of a war - and of totally different species altogether - who possess similar qualities, striking up a close and heartwarming bond that is at the heart of the franchise itself.

For the sequel, concept artists were given the task of updating the Viking's attire and locale so as to reflect upon their newfound companionship, and residence, with dragons. Seen opposite right are several designs for Hiccup's flight suit; as the lead dragon rider of the Vikings, and the first, he has an advanced and intuitive understanding of dragons and is constantly enhancing his gear, ultimately producing a suit which allows him to fly solo alongside Toothless. For contextual believability, this design includes a traditional Viking compass, as well as Norse runes. This use of real-world historial artefacts in design is something I want to implement into my own illustrations responding to His Dark Materials; in this case, specifically Norse mythology and runes, which is relevant to the first installment in the book trilogy, Northern Lights. In the same vein, I want to reflect upon the differing cultures and histories of the story's various settings (in alternate Universes, providing the opportunity to reinterpret historical imagery accordingly) in designs for artefacts that are influenced by these nuances, such as Catholic imagery for the Magesterium, etc.

Inset: Concept art for Cloudjumper from The Art of How to Train your Dragon 2.

Above: Hiccup concept art; and right: Valka concept art from The Art of How To Train Your Dragon 2.

Mad Max Fury Road

is a 2015 Australian action film and reboot/sequel to George Miller's original Mad Max film trilogy, which began in 1979 and ended in 1985. In a dystopian rendering of the Australian outback, lone ranger Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) is caught in the middle of a high-octane race for the freedom for the beautiful wives of warlord Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne), spearheaded by the rogue Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron). With a visually striking depiction of a deiselpunk dystopia, a relentless drive for intricately storyboarded action sequences, surprising themes of feminisim and the destructive nature of toxic masculinity, and impeccable direction, sound editing and visual effects (both FX and practical), Mad Max Fury Road presents a perfect example of a live action film produced through rigorous art direction and sheer creative vision.

This spread: promotional art for the film Mad Max Fury Road.

Mad Max Fury Road • P

roduction for Mad Max Fury Road first began in 1998, thirteen years after the release of Beyond the Thunderdome, the initially-concieved finale of George Miller's Mad Max film trilogy about a lone ranger in a post-apocalyptic Australia.

After spending over a decade in laboured and uncertain development, the fourth entry was officially announced in late 2009 with a scheduled release of 2012. Tom Hardy took over the mantle from Mel Gibson in the title role of Max Rockatansky, with Charlize Theron in a major supporting role, and the film was finally released in summer 2015, seventeen years after development began and thirty six years after the original Mad Max film was released. The resulting motion picture was heralded by many critics and fans as a masterpiece of action and practical effects, and a callback to the Golden Era of cinema from which the original film series originates.

Above: concept art showcasing the vast landscape; and right opposite: promotional art for the film Mad Max Fury Road.

Mad Max Fury Road takes place in a world unlike any other seen on film. There is the Wasteland, a vast and toxic desert spanning the entirety of the Australian outback, the Citadel, where warlord Immortan Joe and his half-life warboys control the main source of water in this dystopia, the Bullet Farm, where munitions are produced, and Gas Town, where gasoline is produced. With no law or order, the world is marauded by roving gangs, with a tyrannical heirarchy overseen by Immortan Joe and his cronies; with control over water, gasoline and munitions, they have the lives of the war-torn civilians in their hands. Everyone is a survivor trying to find meaning in a world gone insane.

Above: concept art from The Art of Mad Max Fury Road.

The story of Mad Max Fury Road is, compared to its root internal mythology and world-building dystopian history, relatively simple: Imperator Furiosa, sworn service to warlord Immortan Joe, spearheads a desperate plan to save herself and Joe's abused wives from his grip and reach the fabled 'Green Place' on the other side of the Wasteland. Max is caught in the midst of a literal race for victory when Joe dispatches all of his faculties in an attempt to retrieve his prized 'possessions'.

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Mad Max Fury Road

The Wasteland •

is where a majority of the film takes places. With a story in constant motion, a vast and empty yet vibrant and beautiful - landscape provides backdrop to the tense, intricate and explosive action sequences which dominate the film, but not without paying close attention to the themes and story that the film is invested in. In this dystopian world, where cities have been reduced to nothing but sand, its ravaged citizens revere vehicles and resources such as gasoline with a religious passion; a form of Norse mythology is found among the War Boys, who wish to 'ride eternal on the highways of Valhalla' in glorious death. Steering wheels and cars are fashioned into pieces of art, though functional in deadly capacity, producing beautifully rendered yet intimidating predators whose presence in the film as a fleet storming across a vast desert is both visually striking and practically inventive.

Above: opening shot from the film Mad Max Fury Road; and inset: concept art for the Rig.

Above: concept art for the Citadel from The Art of Mad Max Fury Road.

The War Rig •

is the driving force of the film and the vehicle which provides our protagonists with the means to achieve their goal of reaching freedom. The largest and most resilient vehicle at Immortan Joe's disposal, it is the prime opportunity of escape for Furiosa. With an enormous presence on screen, and a detailed interior, it allows for both massive set pieces and intimate character moments.

Imperator Furiosa I

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s arguably the film's major protagonist, with her role and aims ultimately driving the story forward throughout, whereas Max fulfils his pre-established role as a lone ranger who finds himself caught up in the affairs of others. Played by Charlize Theron, Furiosa has been well recieved by critics and fans alike, who appreciate her strong yet incidental feminist qualities and complimentary character traits when compared with Max, who is largely mute throughout the film, speaking only in a muttering tone with an emphasis on his unstable mental state.

Meanwhile, Furiosa provides a clear head and firm hand, protecting the wives of Immortan Joe in an unyeilding stance of determination. Furiosa's design reflects on her resilient mind-set, featuring a mechanical arm whos origin is not explained; this lack of exposition allows for a trust in the both the film and Furiosa's confidence, as she is able to perform exceptionally in action sequences both with and without the arm attached.

Right: concept art for Imperator Furiosa; and inset below: promotional art for the film Mad Max Fury Road.

Story boards •

In a unique and applied example of illustration in film production, the majority of Mad Max Fury Road's screenplay was rendered in detailed storyboards resembling comic strips. Due to the film's propulsive and nearconstant action sequences, and the fact the film is set on the road, this method of visually developing a live action film is incredibly considered and clear.

This also allowed for a majority of the sequences to be achieved practically, without the use of CGI. As an example of exceptional worldbuilding in a dieselpunk and graphic aesthetic, Mad Max Fury Road has provided me with an inventive and unique pool of visual reference as I move forward.

Above: Storyboards from The Art of Mad Max Fury Road.

Comics & Graphic Novels

are an excellent source of inspiration for the purposes of translating the written medium of storyetlling into the pictoral.

I have looked at examples of both mediums, which share several similarities but owe key difference, so as to inform my own decisions regarding the prospective nature of my visual response to narrative.

This spread: spread from The Wicked + the Divine written

by Kieron Gillen and illustrated by Jamie McKelvie.

The Wicked + The Divine

is a fantasy comic book series written by Kieron Gillen, illustrated by Jamie McKelvie, and published monthly by Image Comics. Inspired by pop culture and mythological deities, the comic deals with themes of life and death within a contemporary London setting.

This spread: promotional artwork for The Wicked + the Divine.

I

The Wicked + The Divine

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s a contemporary comic book series about the Pantheon, a group of twelve mythological deities with supernatural abilities who are reincarnated every ninety years, with the stipulation that they will die within two years. In the comic, the latest Pantheon finds fame within the popular music industry, with several deities appearing as teenage pop figures in a story largely concerning Lucifer's embroilment in crime and the consequences of their actions.

With a colourful and contemporary visual style, The Wicked + the Divine presents a modern story with mythological influences that make for an interesting juxtaposition between usually unrelated subject matters. Character design is particularly considered, with one of the Pantheon strongly resembling contemporary music figure Florence Welch (seen opposite top right) and Stevie Nicks, who is known for her alleged association with pagan mythology, particularly wiccen.

Contemporary Gods

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The concept of contemporary Gods is interesting to me personally as it is a relatively untouched topic in modern society, wherein religion and mythology is becoming increasingly sidelined and overlooked in pursuit of the sciences or otherwise athiestic living. By suggesting that popular icons such as popstars and models are the 'Gods' of today's society, the comic creates a strong parallel and a core concept that underlines the story in general, with its internal mythology built around this. Modern technology and forms of communication are mirrored with supernatural powers and age-old mythological references, while the strong and bold visual style highlights the whimsical against the cleancut backgrounds and setting of modern day London.

This spread: spread from The Wicked + the Divine written by Kieron Gillen and illustrated by Jamie McKelvie.

Colour Palettes •

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This spread: spread from The Wicked + the Divine written by

Allusions

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•

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This spread: spread from The Wicked + the Divine written

by Kieron Gillen and illustrated by Jamie McKelvie.

The Sleeper and the Spindle

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Personal Response

After extensive research into visual examples of storytelling which reflect well on the core concepts represented in His Dark Materials, from live-action films to comic books, I am at the point in my project where I can begin to respond to my chosen source material with informed confidence.

This spread: personal artwork for His Dark Materials.

Initial Concepts • I

nitially, I intended to produce fully-rendered artefact illustrations and preliminary designs for full-scale illustrations in my Pre-Major Project outline. At the time of writing this - in the process of collating and presenting my research and personal response for subimssion - my resulting final work has taken on a different form, though still connected to and influenced by my initial conceptual outline.

My first sketches for two of the titular objects are seen on this page, and their design is largely maintained in my Above: final imagery overleaf, aelthiometer sketch; and despite a change below: æsahættr in direction and sketch. rendering style.

The Titular Objects

The alethiometer, æsahættr and the amber spyglass are the objects at the heart of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. Though incidental in their use as instruments by three of the series' main characters, they also represent within themselves a piece of the world history from which they are forged. In my imagery responding to Pullman's text, my principle aim for producing artefact illustrations from this Universe is to present convincing and self-contained mythologies through my illustrations. For example, the alethiometer originates from Lyra's world, where the Magesterium - a radicalised and theocratic alternate version of the real-world Church, primarily the Catholic Church - reigns as the central world authority. The alethiometer was said to have been crafted by scholars, with the Magesterium eventually determining to destroy them for fear of their power; as such, it is my reasoning that its appearance would reflect upon a world saturated with Catholic mythology, though in some rebellion of this influence, perhaps visually referencing other concepts in scholarly theology, particularly Dust and its connection to the Aroura Borealis.

Northern Lights

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The sketches featured inset are taken from drawings made in my personal copy of Northern Lights, with the first (left) responding to Part One: Oxford and the second (below) responding to Part Two: Bolvangar. The aim in these sketches was to capture the essence of these locations, and their differences, primarily in their existence as part of an alternate world to our own.

Top left: alternate Oxford sketch; top right: Bolvanger sketch; and inset: alethiometer sketch.

Alethiometer This second, more detailed sketch of the alethiometer demonstrates the pagan and alternative mythology I want to capture in illustrating the integral truth-telling instrument.

My concept for the inside lid includes a circular star map, with a triangle and/or cosmic symbol representing pagan spirituality. The alethiometer is said to be influenced by Dust, the elemental particle at the heart of the book series' conflict, which is believed by the Magesterium to be the physical manifestation of Original Sin, though it is later implied to be the substance from which angels and spectres are made.

Città gazze •

is a city in the world on the other side of the bridge to the stars made by Lord Asriel at the end of Northern Lights. With a meditterranean climate and influence, Ci'gazze is a children's world, where adults are killed on sight by malevolent beings known as spectres. One tower, known as Torre degli Angeli, provides safe haven, for it is the home of the weilder of the subtle knife.

The sketches featured on this spread demonstrate my aim to illustrate in convincing detail the mythology and presence of an alternate world location. Ci'gazze is a city of meditterranean influence, once home to scholars and a world of theological and philosophical understanding, reminiscent of Ancient Rome or Greece.

As such, I wanted to capture the intricate religious carvings found in older architecture found abroad, while merging elements from different cultures. countries and eras.

This spread: various sketches of the Torre degli Angeli in Ci'gazze.

Torre degli Angeli • is the birthplace of æsahættr, otherwise known as the subtle knife. Once home to scholars who pushed the boundaries of theology and physics, it is a shining beacon of the prosperity that governed Ci'gazze before spectres came into the world. I wanted my rendering of the tower to demonstrate its height and philosophical prowess, implementing religious architecture reflecting upon its name. The four angels framing the tower's heighest room are intended as being recognisable from a distance, reigning high over the skyline of the city.

Alternate Worlds are at the heart of my illustrations responding to Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series. I am personally drawn to the concept of fictional world-building, and though atheist myself, I find the impact mythologies have on our world fascinating in terms of the artwork produced and the ideas put forward in these. When illustrating elements such as imagery pertaining to the Magesterium, Cittàgazze, the Melufa, or the fictional presentation of our own contemporary world, I am highlighting on passages which reflect on such mythological references, as well as the influence of John Milton's Paradise Lost on the author himself.

His Dark Instruments •

F

ollowing my initial artefact sketches, I have developed upon concepts in contextualising my illustrations with references to internal mythologies and history. As icons of their respective novels, the titular instruments of His Dark Materials present strong accounts of theses in-Universe contexts, representing three of the prime Universe settings: Lyra's Earth, Will's Earth and the world of the Melufa.

The Golden Compass •

The alethiometer, also known as the golden compass, is a truth-telling instrument implied to be influenced by Dust and created by scholars of Lyra's Earth several centuries previously. Crafted by scholars of the world of Northern Lights, the religious influence of the Magesterium will have been a factor in the instrument's design, although the Magesterium itself would later have them mostly destroyed, suggesting that their creators' intentions were in slight disobediance of the Church. As such, I wanted to produce imagery reflecting both on Catholicism (which the Magesterium is influenced by), the world of Northern Lights itself, and imagery reflecting on Norse mythology due to its implicit connection to Dust and the fact that the alethiometer appears to be guided by the mysterious particles. My design depicts this in the alternateworld skyline rim detailing, intricate clockwork reminiscent of Victorian art, and Norserune inspired compass hands. The overall design is intended to be heavily detailed so as to reflect on the high craftsmanship of the era that the world is paralled with.

Opposite left: alethiometer sketch; below: final alethiometer illustration; right: æsahættr illustration; and bottom right: amber spyglass illustration.

The Subtle Knife

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æsahættr, also known as the subtle knife, is an immensely powerful blade crafted by scholars from the world of Cittàgazze shortly before the events of the second novel. It is unique in that it has qualities allowing it to cut windows into other worlds on one side, and to cut through any matter in the Universe on the other. My design features the angelic figure described in the text, with a Norse patterning featured around the handle, in reference to the object's connection to Dust in that when a window is cut into another world, a malevolent being formed of Dust escaping into a new world is created, known as a spectre.

The overall design is intended contrast upon the alethiometer, highlighting upon their origins from different Universes.

The Amber Spyglass

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The amber spyglass is an instrument used to observe Dust created by Mary Malone, a scientist and previous nun born of the book series' depiction of our own Earth, while she is in the world of the Melufa. Created by a character whos life is influenced both by former religion and the sciences, I imagined the design of the spyglass as being an amalgamation of different aesthetics.

The spyglass is also made of wood in a rudimentary fashion, so I designed the patterns as being on carved wood, with fabric/leather segments, and the patterns themselves inspired by Catholic imagery.

Digital Colouring A

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fter initially rendering my instrument illustrations in detailed pen with white highlighting, I scanned them and used a Wacom graphics tablet for digital enhancement and to create full-colour illustrations.

I achieved this by creating individual layers of colouring in differing tones, wih the layer style overlay. I then used the brush tool to create highlights such as shine on the glass of the alethiometer and the metal of the subtle knife, as well as a diffuse glow over the top. I decided to colour my illustrations so as to heighten their realism and present them as real-world objects, in the style of a diagram for instance, as the original plan was to create artefact illustrations of various world objects in a candid or real-world context. I also wanted to expirement further with digital processes in drawing, as most of my previous illustrations have been presented as original black-and-white finals.

The next step was to figure out how to present these artefact illustrations in a context as intended in my Learning Agreement. As an experiment, I produced a border design for the alethiometer, featured on the far right on the following page.

Opposite left: final alethiometer illustration; inset left: final ĂŚsahĂŚttr illustration; immediate right: final amber spyglass illustration; and far right: border design for alethiometer

Artefact Borders • T

his initial border design experiment was intended to frame the alethiometer illustration for a stronger page presence, with the original intention of including a contextual diagramlike design and/or text relevant to the source material. I hand-drew one half of a border design and used Photoshop to mirror it, forming a page-sized border with the alethiometer featured at the centre. The design itself is inspired by the culture of the world of Northern Lights, where the alethiometer was originally created.

A design for the Magesterium seal is featured in the lower stained-window section.

Generally inspired by Catholic or church archeticture, the final result is highly religious in visual aesthetic and reflects well upon the highly intricate and Victorianera inspired design of the golden compass.

Book Cover Designs D

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espite my original intention of producing final artefact illustrations and preliminary roughs for elements such as book cover designs and internal illustrations for my Pre-Major Project, I ultimately ended up producing an amalgamation of these concepts: final book cover designs for all three titles in

Above left: book cover design for Northern Lights; above centre: The Subtle Knife; and above right: The Amber Spyglass.

Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy, as well as physical and digital mock-ups and designs for a book trilogy case for these to be packaged with in a professional marketing context. This change of plans manifested itself in the process of contextualising my final, digitally-coloured instrument illustrations with experimental border designs inspired by architecture and imagery from the imagined cultures that the individual objects represent, respectively; upon framing my alethiometer in this manner, and after experimenting with different manners of visual style for presentation, I decided to incorporate text as an experiment in book cover design. This process went through many different layouts and includes an original hand-drawn typeface inspired by Norse runs, a visual theme which runs through each of my illustrations produced for this term and in a majority of my visual research, with the final book cover design for each title in the series being featured below.

Northern Lights • T

he first and most widely recognised title in the His Dark Materials trilogy, Northern Lights introduces readers to a world parallel to our own, where a number of key differences in world history and the laws of the sciences has created an Earth where the souls of humans exist outside of their bodies as corporeal animal spirits, the Magesterium holds dominion over all and the aurora borealis holds the key to crossing the borders between Universes.

Upon reading and reflecting upon the source material, with active research taken into the conception of the novel and its influences, a handful of core themes stick out in my mind: destiny, religion, freedom, knowledge and innocence. In interpreting these themes as a visual language, I wanted to present imagery that captures the mood and maturity of the novel, while highlighting upon the particular aesthetic and motifs in reference to the mythology of this alternate Earth. Although, in my initial plans to produce a preliminary rough illustration for book cover designs in my PMP, I wanted to stay away from the more obvious visual staples of the novel (notably, the alethiometer), my incidental production of final book cover designs meant that I had to work with this already largely recognised cover formula in a new and inventive manner. As such, I selected colour palettes for each title, with gold being the core colour staple of Northern Lights in reflection of the 'golden compass' aesthetic. The border design is highly evocative of Catholicism, the Magesterium and pagan religion in general, complimenting the alethiometer's design, whereas the original rune-inspired typography presents a clean and less overwrought legibility.

Above: digital book mock-up for Northern Lights; opposite right: final book cover design for Northern Lights.

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Book Dust Jacket

y final book dust jacket design was created in inDesign and Photoshop and presents a cohesive and professionally-presented context for my cover design for Northern Lights. The original rune-inspired typeface is consistent throughout, with serif typeface used for large areas of text, and a gold palette maintained across the design. In a professional context, I would definitely consider gold leaf for the border detailing on the cover, as well as text and other elements. I also included inside flaps for the dust jacket featuring information on the book series and the author, respectively. The blurb includes a quote from the novel which I believes strongly reflects on its core themes, as well as text in reference to this edition's context within a set of three.

The overall design is evocative of the fantasy and religious nature of the series, with a mature design that also appeals to a young adult audience due to its stylised and illustrative aesthetic. The background image featured on the front and back covers is a manipulated image of space, in reference to cosmic themes.

Above: hardcover book dust jacket design for Northern Lights; top right opposite: Northern Lights book mock-up.

The Subtle Knife • T

he second title in the His Dark Materials trilogy, The Subtle Knife introduces readers to the larger multiverse at play in the series, significantly expanding the scope of the story and treating its material with increasing maturity. After crossing the bridge to the stars made by Lord Asriel at the end of Northern Lights, Lyra finds herself in a city in another world known as CittĂ gazze, where children run riot in the wake of a slaughter by the sinister beings known as spectres, who only hunt adults. Here she meets Will, a boy on the run from our own world, who is destined to become the bearer of the most powerful weapon in all the worlds: the subtle knife.

I made the book cover design for The Subtle Knife, seen opposite right, after the initial experiment that resulted in the book cover design for Northern Lights. Consequently, the border design here is more considered for use within a book cover context, as seen in the text placement of the title. My intention for The Subtle Knife cover was for it to directly contrast that of the first novel, with a silver/white palette as opposed to gold in reference to the increased maturity of the material (less of a fantasy aesthetic) and an emphasis on the object in mention. The border design is an amalgamation of art deco and Meditterranean influences, with the latter clearly described in the text as being the aesthetic for Ci'gazze, where the subtle knife was created. The white border highlights the hint of colour seen on the blade, which I designed to be a faded with a 'subtle' glint of gold or rusted orange. I am pleased with the end result as my concern was that the intricacy of the alethiometer in the first book cover design would outshine the less intense design of the knife; overall, the second book cover design stands on its own as a compelling illustration with a considered and distinct colour palette.

Above: digital book mock-up for The Subtle Knife; opposite right: final book cover design for The Subtle Knife.

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Book Dust Jacket •

ue to its nature as a title in a set edition of a novel trilogy, my book dust jacket design is consistent for each title, with only the colour palette and relevant text information alternating between them. In this instance, the second title features a white palette in place of the gold in the first title, with gold appearing only in certain passages of text on the blurb for added effect. My chosen quote for The Subtle Knife is longer than the first, highlighting on the maturer content with reference to the battle between freedom and knowledge that is at the heart of the book series itself. As with Northern Lights, the front inside flap of the book dust jacket features all three colour illustrations of the titular objects in a combined pose.

Above: hardcover book dust jacket design for The Subtle Knife; top right opposite: The Subtle Knife book mock-up.

The Amber Spyglass T

he final and longest title in Philip Pullman's high fantasy trilogy His Dark Materials, The Amber Spyglass features an intense and complicated plot to draw the series to a dramatic and poignant close.

In the wake of Lyra's disappearance at the end of The Subtle Knife, Will is accompanied by two angels and the panserbjørne king Iorek Byrnison on a perilous journey through unknown worlds to deliver the deadly weapon to Lord Asriel, who intends to destroy the source of Dust and the Authority for once and for all.

As a story which concerns heavy themes and complex concepts, The Amber Spyglass presented a challenge in selecteing a key aesthetic which would reflect on the novel in its entirety. Like the first two titles, I used the titular object as a means to explore the internal mythology of one world from the multiverse featured in the series, in this case being the world of the Melufa. However, the object in this instance - unlike the former two, which were created by scholars from different worlds, respectively - is created during the events of the novel by a character from the series' depiction of our own Earth, while she in the world and company of the Melufa. Created by a key character whos past combines Catholic religion with science, while in the present experiencing an altogether new culture, I wanted the spyglass to reflect upon systematic religion (paricularly Catholic, which is reflected again in the Magesterium of Lyra's Earth) with pagan or naturalistic mythology. This can be seen in the border design's juxtaposition between Celtic and spiritual patterns and features, and the Catholic stained glass and Eve figure, in reference to Lyra's role as Eve in the coming cosmic war. The spyglass itself extends this juxtaposition with wood carvings featuring Catholic, Norse and pagan imagery, respectively. The chosen colour for this title is amber or darker gold, in reflection of the ever increasing maturity of the content and the titular object itself, which uses tree laquer as a means to see Dust with the naked eye.

Above: digital book mock-up for TheAmber Spyglass; opposite right: final book cover design for The Amber Spyglass.

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Book Dust Jacket •

he book dust jacket design for The Amber Spyglass is similar to that of Northern Lights in that it features a largely gold colour palette, though more akin to amber in this instance in reflection of the title and the darker nature of the plot. The novel itself is longer, making for a wider spine design, though I included the shortest quote from each title as I believe it is one that is popular with audiences and which applies itself both to the series in general and beyond, to the author's inspirations. For The Amber Spyglass, the cover design highlights more upon the border than the titular object, as the spyglass is narrower and contains less detail due to its rudimentary nature. Consequently, the border design is more detailed and features a tighter layout, closing off at solid angles at the top and the base.

Above: hardcover book dust jacket design for The Amber Spyglass; top right opposite: The Amber Spyglass book mock-up.

Book Trilogy Case •

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n lieu of producing final book dust jacket cover designs for each title in the His Dark Materials trilogy, I used my imagery to produce a book series case for professional context, and to tie my project together as a cohesive, marketable product. Using inDesign to create a template for the box design, I utilised my cover design for Northern Lights as a trilogy cover for His Dark Materials, as seen below, whereas I produced original artwork showcasing my instrument illustratins in a cosmic setting to be featured on the back/spine. I am particularly pleased with the instruments artwork, which stands on its own as a distinct piece of artwork for use in print, marketing and other professional contexts.

Inset: book trilogy case front view; top right: book trilogy case spine view.

Limited Edition Gold Leaf •

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y interpretation of the His Dark Materials trilogy is intended to contrast upon previous designs for the series, while maintaining elements of imagery which its existent audience is familiar with for a new and inventive presentation. The primary visual aesthetic of my cover designs relies on instrument illustration, black background, individual border designs and interchangeable colour palettes, respectively. The use of gold in the first novel's design is extended here to the book trilogy case, which re-uses the Northern Lights cover layout with new text and the blurb colour scheme.

Speaking in a professional, real-world context, I would love for my designs - including the box case to feature gold leaf elements in the bordering and text elements, so as to highlight on their intricacy and the fantasy nature of the book series, despite the maturity and respect for the source material that I intended to convey through my designs.

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Final Outcome •

t the conclusion of my Pre-Major Project and the final outcome of my visual research, personal development in illustration and production of final designs, I am incredibly pleased with the overall aesthetic and visual language that I have achieved through considered and combined use of design and illustration. By putting my hand-drawn illustratons into a professional and digitally manipulated context, I believe I have vastly improved their impact and page presence, while also having improved my personal skills in designing professional layouts in software such as inDesign. Though my initial intentions have changed, I believe the end result is a stronger and more cohesive project than I had originally planned for, with a visual language that interprets the themes of the book series in an inventive manner that I have not witnessed in any previous interpretation of the same source material.

The design is appropriate for its fantasy and young-adult genre and target audience, respectively, while also serving to respect the mature and complicated concepts found within Philip Pullman's acclaimed His Dark Materials trilogy of high fantasy novels.

Inset: book trilogy case back view; opposite right: His Dark Materials artwork.