Brave New World Development.

With Brave New World I really struggled gaining inspiration for the illustrations. With the aid of a study guide (as well as reading the book through) I picked out key aspects of the book that stood out to me and began some research to give me some inspiration and ideas. The main aspects of the story that particularly stood out to me were: 

-The children with the flowers and then being shocked

-The Savages and their care for their children

-The lighthouse

The Images below are some of the key bits of inspiration that I found that influenced me and gave me ideas to develop. These images are NOT mine.

Examples taken from the Folio Society to help me with the cover ideas. This part still hasn't yet been completed as I'm still struggling with the layout, though I do have ideas for it...

The lighthouses were for inspirations for the lighthouse at the end of the book. I chose to look at old school tattoo styles ones as it's a style I enjoy doing and thought that it would help create the clear images and lines I wanted in my work.

I really liked the idea of making the mother savage and her child religious in their pose. I thought this would be interesting as religions like Christianity no longer existed in the world and I thought this reflection of religious influence in the piece would work with the theme. 

I chose to have the savages faces similar to that of the New Zealand traditional tattoos as it mean I could show they were "savages" thought the use of traditional tribal tattoos without hiding their faces under big masks as described in the books.

The style of the below image really inspired me, especially with the pen tones as I love working in pen. I also liked the use of the roses as I wanted to use them in my work because they represent what is no longer in the world and is encouraged as bad to the children, as the rest of nature.

The below image inspired me as I liked the used of watercolour in the background and how the different tones blend with a "natural" feel to them. I really liked this as it's a similar effect of what I wanted to acheive in my pieces, especially around the sea on the lighthouse illustration.

The above ideas are things that caught my eye, be it style, tone, layout, colour and so on.

Finally, after a few too many cigarettes I jotted some ideas down for multiple ideas and I  started moving!

Picturing Time and Brave New World

I'm now back in uni for my third and final year - whoa, that's gone fast. As I type this I am listening to an audio book version of Huxley's "Brave New World" for the Folio Society (http://competitions.houseofillustration.org.uk/folio2012/)

As I'm personally one of those people who struggles to read books to a deadline I'm using the link Holly told me about to listen to it while working instead. It's working for me really well, though I must admit I am still debating how I'd illustrate a book of this intensity and depth well enough - At the moment I must admit I'm stumped. Though, I defiantly like the idea with the young children at the begining with the rose petals and sunlight - but doing it delicately. Also, the ideas of lacking identity really appeal to me but I would struggle to make it new and unique. Ho hum...

On the other hand though, the other competition we are partaking in is all about picturing time. I have really enjoyed this so far and I'm very excited for my final piece which will be finished by the end of the week. I have been looking at reflections of faces with the aging process and using instruments of time such as pocket watched, sand timers, cogs, chains, and floral suggestions like roses for love and death representations in my ideas. I also like the idea of representation though the use of animals  for example owls with the connotations of time, being old and wise and knowledgeable.  I think I'd also like to have the main images encased in a frame/pendant type of design for clarity and again, representing memories, I feel close to the pendants in my family that hold old images and I would like to show this idea in my piece.