Leeds College of Art BA (Hons) ILLUSTRATION OUIL505 ILLUSTRATION 2: Applied Illustration
Level
05
Credits 30
Module Brief Title: Product, Range & Distribution
STUDIO BRIEF 1: Project Proposal Project Rationale What do you intend to do and why? I intend to produce a set of illustrated scenes from a classic middle-grade children’s book. I have chosen to use the existing text from L.M. Montgomery’s Emily of New Moon (originally published in 1923) as a reissue of the original publication with new visuals. I will illustrate a new front and back cover and at least 6 full page interior illustrations. This project will focus on the relationship between Montgomery’s reality and her works of fiction. My illustrations will bridge the distance between Montgomery’s idyllic stories and her own secretive, dark reality. My intention is to discuss Montgomery’s quiet battle with mental illness and her concealed suicide, an issue that is hugely important in the human condition and that is very close to me. I will be bringing these serious themes into the whimsical narrative; this is a very different approach to Montgomery’s work that has not been attempted before. I hope to produce images that would suit the context of application for children’s publishing and that would also communicate these topics effectively. I have worked on children’s books for pre-reader and early reader children before but this is a chance for me to explore a slightly older audience. I want to challenge myself to tackle a longer, more sophisticated text aimed at children aged 8-12 years. I will take inspiration from illustrators such as Carson Ellis and Julia Sarda who make illustrations that capture the narrative and atmosphere of the texts they sit alongside. I am interested in further developing my skills in character design and sequential illustration. Illustrating an established text such as Emily of New Moon will provide me with the narrative and characters so that I can pay attention to refinement and technical competence of these visual skills which I can then use in my portfolio. The publication will be presented as a hardback book, a special edition or gift edition of Emily of New Moon. Alongside the publication, I will apply the illustrations to relevant merchandise to promote the release, including: bookmarks, a window display for a book shop and a set of prints.
THEMES / SUBJECTS What Themes/Subjects will form the content of your work for this module? This should include theoretical and non-creative based content and concerns. This section should identify your consideration of the social, cultural, ethical and creative concerns of contemporary Illustration practice. THEMES AND SUBJECTS: General: Psychology and mental illness - themes of mental illness in L.M. Montgomery’s life. Specific: ‘Religious Melancholia’ – the mental breakdown of L.M. Montgomery’s husband. L.M. Montgomery’s suicide at the age of 67 in 1942. Recognition of mental illness at the time in contrast to now.