Two Illustrated Versions of 'The Good Duck'

Watercolors pencils, black in ‘The Good Duck’ (1); I.G.

   

Watercolors pencils, black in ‘The Good Duck’ (1); I.G.

     I have made these two illustrations using watercolor pencils and black ink pen.

     Art and design elements are not very usual as I did with the purpose – to be more in the genre of the absurd and change the viewer’s expectations.  When I had finished them I understood that there was something what I forgot. I forgot about chicken as in the story plot are both kind of birds – chicken and ducks.

        

Watercolors pencils, black in ‘The Good Duck’ (2); I.G.

     Continuing exploration of the subject, I am going to have look at the comedy genre doing research what kind of visual, vocal and semantic elements makes the aesthetic effect of comedy experience pleasure, shedding light on the human being by laugh because it is close to the nonsense as well. 

Subject to Research: Chicken and Ducks. Part Two

       After few drawings of the birds in the 'Subject to Research: Chicken and Ducks. Part One', I took a colored pencil, that has mix of color in its cord and my experimentation went few steps forward into the visual outcome of ducks and chicken. The pencil has got a nice feature of the 'inventive tool' with already made colors palette. Everything what a person need, just make drawings.

Colored pencil sketches of birds (No.2); I.G.

Subject to Research: Chicken and Ducks. Part One

Ink pen sketches of birds (No.1); I.G.

     There are fast line drawings to find meaning of the chickens and ducks. By the poet Daniil Kharms ‘Good duck’ the poem is saying:

The river crossed

Exactly in half a minute.

Chick on the duck

Chick on the duck

Chick on the duck

A chicken on the duck.

       Making drawings of birds from imagination (No.1), I wanted to capture the mood of them, who are crossing the river really speedily. Body movements are giving a hint to find right characterization and visual narrations.

  

    

Ink pen sketches of birds (No.2); I.G.

Experimental Illustrations 'Cats Via Man' by Danill Kharms

      Whereas I wanted to experiment more with different techniques, by limiting myself in colors, I have used black ink with adding watercolours. Spontaneously came an idea to build the bunch of the cats, who arrange a full, negative pack of ignorance of creatures. I asked myself: ‘If cats do not accept me, what kind of expression I might have being that man?’ There came an answer that probably I will be angry (illustration No. 2) or arrogant as well, persuading cats to join my company. 

Illustration ‘Cats Via Man’ (1), I.G.

       The scene with the strange illustration contains the mix of simply pen, black ink and watercolours. Even the way where happens the scene is... dirty not because I did not chose right colors but with the reason to show how awful and painful might be the experience being rejected, for the particular case of the man and cats. 

           

Illustration ‘Cats Via Man’ (2), I.G 

Collages 'Cats Via Man' .Visual Reflection On Nonsense Poem by Danill Kharms

      Continuing stepping in to the subject of ‘Cats via Man’ deeper, I have experimented with the aspects of techniques: the question was how is going work the collage on the black background? There I applied rubbing of the paper on the rough surface, what gave a textually of the elements.  Simplicity in the compositions maintenance the free space for the viewer to concentrate on characters of

the plot.  

Collage: watercolors pencils, blue ink ‘Cats Via Man’, I.G.

    The image below the collage is how I made few linear casting looking for the village scene; something old, something unusual. There, I guess, might be good to look at visual references as buildings looks bit boring.

   

Collage: black, blue ink, gauche ‘Cats Via Man’, I.G.

Sketches. Cats via Man

    

     I add the first sketchbook page with exploration of emotions there. Sketching eyes, changing the shapes and lines, trying to give more identifications for each pet, I was associating each cat with myself questioning the subject matter what emotion I do feel.

    Understanding how emotions change the facial expressions can give more chances to find right character for the visual story. Movement of cats gives more naturalness and more expressiveness.  

Sketch of cats (1), I.G.

Sketch of cats (2), I.G.

Sketch of cats (3), I.G.

Exploration in Sketchbook Pages

    

      Continuing exploration of the visual language into nonsense genre by Danill Kharms, I experimented how the brown felt pen, watercolors pencils and slight washes are  working together.

Sketchbook Page No. 1 

     The first image is made finding a color for rabbits. I was puzzling if they are all white in the winter, then might be chance to use metaphoric affection of the yellow? When the old woman is dead, most important are rabbits, because by the regularities of the live, the man is going to get off the scene. Nothing is important in reality, I rephrase Danill Kharms, only absurd of the life. The absurd can be applied as the replacement of human values in contemporary society nowadays stating the fact that nobody does not need anything except… consumerism.

     The leg represents the old man; he is not a part of the sad story anymore. As the element of the composition, it is hanging and not natural, showing a lack of the observational drawing again.

    I drew rabbits shocked; expressions are seen in their eyes, - all of them becomes statues of the fall of the world and looks satirical. 

      

  Sketchbook Page No. 2

Salvador Dali and 'Alice in Wonderland'

      Salvador Dali (1904 - 1989), Spanish painter, who had identified himself with the Surrealism movement, made catchy series of images made by Lewis Carroll  'Alice in Wonderland'. 

     Compositions of artworks are rich with visual elements; colors are blended creating the mystic atmosphere of scenes. Every artwork speaks about controlled madness. Nor panels are full of symbols, but maintains harmony and balance. From the sharp traces of the black ink grows elements of the reality - the viewer can mention trees, sea and even small people, animals and flowers. 

      I think that unity of pieces is achieved by using visual opposites: here and there forms are blurred, flowing, and elsewhere are strictly structured. In addition, the introduction of color flashes enriches the exposure field and I simply like it.

Salvador Dali 'Alice in Wonderland'; 1.

Salvador Dali 'Alice in Wonderland'; 2.

Salvador Dali 'Alice in Wonderland'; 3. 

Salvador Dali 'Alice in Wonderland'; 4.

Salvador Dali 'Alice in Wonderland' ; 5.

Salvador Dali 'Alice in Wonderland'; 6. 

Page from Sketchbook. Danill Kharms 'A Northern Fable'

           

     

      Daniil Kharms: Дании́л Ива́нович Хармс; (1905 – 1942) Russia Soviet-era surrealist, absurd poet, writer and dramatist wrote the ‘A Northern Fable’:

     ’A old man, for no particular reason, went off into the forest. Then, he returned and said: Old women, hey old women! And the old women dropped dead.

          Ever since then, all rabbits are white in winter.’

     

         On the basis of the above-mentioned story, I began to think how it could be illustrated.

         My linear experiments were taken in black ink and the pen. I tried to look for the facial features and clothing items - caps, which provides a surprise for an image. Using the pen drawing communication is transmitted through the different nib’s pressure. It is likely that there should be more focus on observational drawings and next step might be to start explore bodies motions.

Nonsense And Surrealism Interfaces

Ieva Gudonyte, 'Jerry Hall' by English Nursery Rime 'Jerry Hall'

      Whereas nonsense genre, the status quo is to change, reconstruct reality into a new form and flip it upside down, eliminating the generally accepted rules, the nonsense itself is the opposite of reality and a tool for creating a new linguistic and visual space. Knowing that the reality is the opposite of the vision, dreams and imagination, closest for the nonsense is surrealism.

                                                   

                                        Max Ernst, 'Oedipus Rex' (Oedipus the King)'

     Surrealism as the cultural and art movement tried to resolve contradictory   conditions of dream and reality, producing strange creatures, illogical scenes and revealed the expression of unconscious mind of the artist.

     Writers and poets, including the author Dhanil Kharms, played with the absurdity like the artist Salvador Dali, painted his metaphysics artworks. These exclusive, creative people had the aim by the writer Andre Breton, who thought that they solve so far controversial former reality and the dram of existence conditions’.

I would think that they done it, therefore my aim illustrating the nonsense of the genre is to follow in their footsteps showing my view of point to subject.

      

         

Illustration 'Jerry Hall' and Supportive Text

 Gouache painting, line drawing ‘’Jerry Hall’’; 

30.09.2016; I.G.

Jerry Hall

Jerry Hall,

He was so small,

A rat could eat him

A hat and all.

     I have chosen  to illustrate the mentioned above nonsense poem, because the text gave an impression of the hyperbolized rat, that gets the power to destroy the boy's life.    

Illustrating Nonsense Genre

Visual communication study to illustrate the absurdity of the literary genre of nonsense.

     I would like to do investigation into the absurdity of the literature genre, in other words called nonsense.

     Whereas nonsense is thinking and seeing the wold in the way of the restoration when not combined completely incompatible things, playing absurd and meaning of nothing about situations and hints, I see there an opportunity there to develop my wild, spontaneous, intuitive, strange personal statement. Illustrating nonsense writers attracts me by its positivism, because this particular genre involves a lot fun, play and surprise.

     My main chosen writer for making illustrations is the writer Danill Kharms (Soviet-era surrealist and absurdist poet (1905-1942)), who wrote short absurd stories and poems.

      I am going to illustrate the writer Danill Kharms; some poems of the are translated in English and might be accessed on the internet for readers.