Illustration Portfolio
Section 1- Fantasy and Wonder Series
This Series of illustrations focus on themes of magic, life, and a sense of wonder. Using organic imagery contrasted with celestial, and divine motifs, these illustrations create a suspension of reality in a world of natural splendor that transcends the boundaries of a specific place or time.
Inspired by a host of mythologies, design elements are inspired by pre-Raphaelite symbolism, Arts and crafts patterns, and Art Nouveau depictions of nature, with swirling line and entangling vines.
The Stars
The idea of stars falling out of the sky has been a popularly romanticised idea throughout multiple cultures and civilisations. From Asteria (Greek titan of falling stars), all the way to the modern use in video games as accomplished as the Legend of Zelda series. In these illustrations, more than any else, i focus on a sense of wonder. stars that have fallen to earth illuminating the darkness, only observed by bugs in the night. Maybe somewhere, some how, unseen to human eyes, there is a bit of magic.
The Seer
This illustration is based on the myth of Circe.
Circe is the most famous example of Greek sorcery with most notable appearances in the Odyssey, where she turns Odysseus’ men into pigs when they land on her island of Aeaea, and The Argonautica, where she purifies her niece (and fellow witch) Medea, and Jason from their gilt after the murder of Medea’s brother.
Female sorcery was a reoccurring subject of late Pre-Raphaelite paintings. including depictions of Medea, and Morgana la Fae (Morgana the Fairy of Arthurian legend) by Frederic Sandy, and Three individual paintings centered around Circe by John William Waterhouse, The Sorceress, Circe Offering the Cup to Ulysses, and Circe Invidiosa.
When illustrating this piece I included symbolic elements to reference her character. She is surrounded by nature, standing amidst the silhouettes of leaves to draw attention to her connection with the natural world, illuding to their role in her craft as clouds or smoke rises behind her head. clouds and mist weave under her fingers to reference her ability in weaving. Her face is lit with golden light, bright eyes radiating skywards. Circe is a daughter of Helios, titan of the sun, represented with the bursting light from her earrings and chest. Circe was also said to have inherited the gift of prophecy from her father, which this illustration is focused on, and inspired the titling.
Sleeping Princess
Based on medieval ages, this Illustration consist of a woman, sinking into a bed of leaves and flowers. Her long flowing hair, entwines with stems and petals, almost covering her as she lays. her head is adorned with a circlet inlayed with green gems illuding to her noble status.
In this piece i intended to engage with the previous representations of noble women, from sleeping beauty and snow white, to drowning Ophelia. Here I hoped to subvert the tragedies and malicious actions that impact the fates of these fairy tale women. Instead, the figure depicted is at piece.
The composition also bares resemblance to traditional portraiture. The figure is vertical in the frame at a three-quarter turn from the viewer.
I find this piece to engage with the concept of reality. She sleeps and dreams separated from the confines of the image. Additionally the notion of fairy tales and medieval lets us escape into a different world through the image where fairies may live at the end of the garden, and princesses sleep amongst the flowers.
These Pieces depict a different type of magic. Something a lot more mysterious, with undisclosed motives. Are they good? What do they seek? There is also the use of imagery traditionally associated with more occult practices, Such as the use of flames, the athame, and Familiars.
These two pieces are intended two pieces are intended to appear like window to somewhere else. They engage with the ecological theory of Deep time and Hyperopbjects. The trees are made to seem ancient and grand, filtering the sun and climbing above the clouds and waves, Beyond human intervention, or cultural concepts of time. Additionally, these pieces are the result of rigorous research into the fractal nature of branch formations.
Clouds swirl, captured in the gravity of the sun. I wanted to create an ambiguous composition, somewhere in-between the experience of looking up at the sky, and a celestial diagram, with universal dust and forming stars.
Clouds are an example of a natural formation that have observable fractal patterns, as a result it was important to include the scaling repeating qualities that forms our interpretation of clouds
Furthermore, I chose to use the Vortex formation, as not only is this particular formation also of a fractal quality, but these shapes are observable through out earth, as well as the cosmos, when looking at spinning galaxies.
