Picture Book title or theme
The Raven Lady
Idea: What is your picture book about?
The ‘Raven Lady’ from Knaresborough castle - her feeling that we misunderstand/ are disconnected from nature, and her aim of promoting that we have nothing to fear from Ravens. Contrasting this with the myths and legends surrounding Ravens - magic, death, the paranormal, lost spirits.
Intent: What are you trying to achieve with the tone and atmosphere of the artwork?
I want the images to have a transient and ephemeral atmosphere - a sense of the paranormal, myth and legend. But I don’t want it to become creepy or ominous as this goes against what the ‘Raven Lady’ wants to promote. Maybe the tone could be a personal reaction to how I feel about the ‘raven lady’ and ravens in general as a bird - slightly unnerved, but with a sense of curiosity and understanding.
Structure: How might this book function in terms of format, layout and sequence?
I am interesting in exploring overlapping images using different sized and positioned pages - like Eleni Kalorkoti’s space zine. For now I think I am going to create a saddle stitch book as apposed to a concertina. I don't want the book to be a start and end narrative but more a sequence of details, observations, or visual facts to create an overall narrative or idea.
These ideas are based on my research into…
Going to Knaresborough and the castle - talking to people, drawing, taking photographs.
Looking into the ‘Raven Lady’ online - a film on vimeo and her website.
General research into myths and legends surrounding Ravens as a bird using various websites.
In order to develop these ideas, my research over Christmas will be….
Going to the tower of london? talking to people there, doing some drawing and taking photographs.
Using the internet to research more into the ‘Raven lady’ as well as myths and legends surrounding Ravens.
Emailing the ‘Raven Lady’ through her website to gain more of her perspective.
Self Evaluation
What have you discovered about research over the last 2 weeks?
Research does not just have to be facts or figures found in a book or on a website. It can be recording a personal experience, the feel of a place, collecting/organising ideas, feelings and images.
It is always best to start off broad and then narrow down. Theres no point of research if you already know where you want to end up…
Which approaches to research did you struggle with? And why?
Observational drawing - I get very self conscious drawing in public, and I also can’t do very good drawings quickly so I often find the ones that I do do not very useful for referencing.
Interviewing people is also something I struggled with. It can be intimidating approaching strangers. I always feel that people don’t want to be disturbed.
Which approaches to research did you find beneficial? And Why?
I found sitting and observing a place/ people really interesting as through this I would often start noticing patterns or small details.
Talking to people (when I plucked up the courage) occasionally would be very useful. Its how I found out about the ‘Raven lady’ in the first place!
Recording a personal experience/feeling. This is an approach to research I had never really used before…I found it really interesting and almost calming to reflect on a place or experience.
What could you have done differently during your research period?
Done more drawing!
Research the place I was visiting before I went so I had a better idea of what I was interested in investigating and had more specific questions for when I was interviewing people.
What kind of media, skills, tools and processes are you going to explore?
Ink and brush - alike to Eleni Kalorkoti (and the images I created in my hotdog book)
Exploring shape and texture (same process as in the visual language session)
- creating texture using: gouache, watercolour, oil pastel, charcoal, ink, dry brush. Looking at using different textures/thickness of paper.
using collage?
printmaking - lino, monoprint (after the christmas holidays?)
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