Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Narrative Piece for Visual Development


Breathless by Scott Dale analyzed using the Hero's Journey outline:

Ordinary World- The setting is a post-apocalyptic landscape where the air is no longer breathable- people stay alive by injecting liquid oxygen into themselves continuously.  The oxygen is stored in tubes which are scarce and valuable, frequently traded or used as money.  Our main characters are Isaac and Jasmyn, a father-daughter duo who are following a map to a city of breathable air.

Call to Adventure- Isaac and Jasmyn are robbed of their spare oxygen tubes, and the thief escapes to Macapa Fort, a nearby city.

Refusal of Call- Isaac deems Macapa Fort too dangerous and tries to find a way around not having enough oxygen.

Accepting the Call- After encountering a couple who are running out of oxygen in the wasteland, the reality of the situation hits Isaac.  He remembers their goal, and decides to risk going to Macapa Fort.

Entering the Unknown- Isaac and Jasmyn enter Macapa Fort, which is dingy and unpleasant.  The town s very populated and poor, and the guards who maintain order ("Redbacks") are terrifying.  The duo settle in a bar that is populated almost entirely by prostitutes and their clients.

Allies/Helpers- They meet Elysia (a prostitute) and her blind son Plato.  Elysia initially agrees to look after Jasmyn for a fee, and quickly becomes close to her and Isaac.  Plato and Jasmyn develop a romantic interest in each other.

Tests (rising action)-  Isaac finds the thief that they followed to the ciyt, who loses the stolen goods in a game of cards and then is killed.  Focus shifts to Angel Eyes- a whore who initially is just believed to be a good card player but ends up being a formidable enemy in Macapa Fort and seems to be central to the strange happenings in the city.  Slowly more and more corruption is revealed in the city, with Isaac and Jasmyn getting sucked farther into it.  Elysia and Plato end up allying with them to escape together, but increasingly extreme turns of events leave them in a bad situation.  Jasmyn and Isaac escape with their lives, but Elysia and Plato end up trapped, awaiting execution by Angel Eyes and the Redbacks.

Climax- Jasmyn and Isaac return to Macapa Fort to save their friends.  Angel Eyes and her guards are defeated, whores are liberated, everyone comes together to triumph over evil.  Isaac dies in order to save Jasmine.

Reward- Enough tubes of breathable air for everyone are recovered, previously locked away in secret.  Everyone is hopeful and wanting to finish the journey together to the breathable city.

Journey Home- Jasmyn leads to the group to the city, they distribute supplies to everyone they meet along the way.  The city is discovered and they are all accepted in with open arms.


Master of the Two Worlds- Jasmyn is now a confident leader, having to rise to the occasion at Macapa Fort.  The romantic subplot with her and Plato is completed with a kiss, symbolizing the journey she's made into young adulthood over the course of the story.

Breathless divided by act:

Act 1: Isaac and Jasmyn are introduced, world is built (partially through flashback), their objective is established as finding a city of breathable air.  They are robbed, encounter an unfriendly group of men, and interact with a man and his wife who are out of oxygen.  This act ends with their decision to go to Macapa Fort.

Act 2: Isaac and Jasmyn enter Macapa Fort and meet their allies (Elysia and Plato) and their enemies (Angel Eyes and the Redbacks).  They have increasingly dangerous clashes with their enemies until Isaac is eventually captured and Jasmyn rescues him.  They and their allies are forced to run for their lives- Isaac and Jasmyn successfully escape the city, Elysia and Plato do not.

Act 3: Isaac and Jasmyn reenter Macapa Fort to save Elysia and Plato from execution.  Angel Eyes is defeated, her vault of oxy-tubes is distributed among the people,  Jasmyn narrowly survives the final battle, Isaac is killed.  Jasmyn leads the people to the fabled city of breathable air.


Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Playing with color


Enlarged and tightened up one of my tiny compositions for fun- also my first real attempt at digital grisaille.  It was mostly successful!

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Figure Work 09/01/2015




Art Inspiration- H.R. Giger





Art Inspiration- Jen Zee





Art Inspiration- Andrew "Android" Jones





Art Inspiration- Frank Frazetta




Illustration- Digital

Texture study/rendering practice.


Design for a three color screenprint.

Celebrity caricature assignment- "Lil Bub" in the style of Bill Mayer.


Color practice- complimentary color scheme.


Value planning.



Illustration-Traditional



Illustration for "Hellmouth" show at Southwest University of Visual Arts.


Cicada in pen.


Watercolor illustration for a children's poem.

Studies From Life


Still life in charcoal on grey paper.


Still life in scratchboard.


Figure in charcoal.


Still life in pencil.


Skull in colored pencil on brown paper.