Secret 7

Deadline: 11.59pm 2nd March

For this brief I started off by reading all of the essential information provided on the website. I then decided that the best way for me to create an album cover for this work is to just listen to the piece again and again without looking at previous covers etc and just paint my interpretation of the song and lyrics. I chose this song by Chvrches out of the list:

I decided on this song because it is really lively, emotional, vibrant and atmospheric. It also has a really nice rhythm which is good to paint to as it influences your brush strokes. The lyrics are:

"Light, it's all over us

Like it always was
Like it always was

Shape by the clearest blue
But it's not enough
It's not enough, not enough

Just another time we're caught inside
Every open eye
Holding on tightly to the sides
Never quite learning why
You'll meet me, you'll meet me
You'll meet me halfway

Whenever I feel it coming on
You can be well aware
If ever I try to push you away
You can just keep me there
So please say you'll meet me
Meet me halfway

Tied to the shifting ground
Like I always was
Like I always was

You, were the perfect star
But it's not enough, it's not enough
Not enough, not enough

Just another time that I go down
But you were keeping up
Holding to a hope you undermined
Never to be reversed

Just another time we're caught inside
Every open eye
Holding on tightly to the sides
Never quite learning why

Whenever I feel it coming on
You can be well aware
If ever I try to push you away
You can just keep me tell me

Tell me tell me, you'll meet me
Tell me tell me, you'll keep me
Tell me tell me, you'll meet me
Will you meet me more than halfway

Shape by the clearest blue
Shape by the clearest blue"

The parts that I highlighted are the bits which are repeated or that stood out to me the most when listening to the song, so became the parts that influenced my illustration the most. I chose to start off through painting because this is always one medium I feel expressive and free in - unlike pencil etc. I feel that painting really lends itself to capturing the atmosphere of the moment, I like to use it instinctively and intuitively. I did not plan it before because I think music is about evoking a reaction and emotion, interpretation rather than a strict order. Because of the name sake I chose to use blue as the colour palette. I am thinking now though that maybe keeping everything but the eyes or the heart a different colour could make it look more effective. The clearest blue could be so clear in juxtaposition to the other colour - I will experiment on photoshop. 

'Meet me halfway' - there are two characters in this plot. I wanted to depict them as quite anonymous without reference - which is why I used stickmen - this also links to the music as it allows anyone to relate to it. I used a white line to split the page and to split the characters. It is hard to tell if they are meeting or parting because I felt that like the song, there needed to be some ambiguity. The lyrics talking about pushing away but keeping there etc- a lot of juxtapositions but it all make sense to us as our emotions are constantly changing/juxtaposing when it comes to 'love'. 

'Every open eye' - is repeated. I used stick men but I wanted it to be obvious that they are 'tied' to each other- I used their eyes to make this clear by looking back at each other while their bodies are facing the other way.

At the moment I have painted the piece and I am just using Photoshop to add specific details and colouring. It must be finished tonight so I am going to try not to over-complicate it and keep it to a simple message/mood of the piece.

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The description (140 characters) that I used:

Focusing on the theme of an anonymous, relatable couple and the ambiguity and juxtapositions of emotions- the white line splits the page and their reaching hands.