Printed Pictures; Project Proposal

OUIL504 ILLUSTRATION 1 PROCESS AND PRODUCTION

STUDIO BRIEF 3 PROJECT PROPOSAL: PRINTED PICTURES

·         I intend to produce…

9 prints corresponding to the 9 scenes in Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. There are 5 acts. They will be a set sequence of prints based on either a summary of each scene or an important moment from each one. I will plan out the scenes and then decide on scale however seeing as I have decided to use the process of etching I should be able to get a lot of detail in which means I can create smaller images if I want to than if I used a process such as lino. In the occasion that I do create smaller prints such as A5 then I will make a publication (a small book) out of them however my main focus is making good quality prints so I may just create larger and more complex separate prints. I will be using lino print as I really like this effect and I think etching will produce a more sketchy outcome which is not the look I am going for in this project. I want to focus on symbolism and mark making more than sketching a perfectly accurate representation- As I am making up the scenes from my imagination this should work more effectively. I really want to use metallic inks – gold and silvers; to encourage the theme of magic; juxtaposing these with a darker rich colour like blue, purple, red or black. I will experiment with different ink combinations in the print room once I have created my lino cuts and I have also got some examples from some practice lino cuts I made last week in which I used purple and gold which I thought worked effectively in portraying my image. 

·         The content will focus on 3 specific themes/texts/concepts…
The texts I will focus on will be from A Midsummer Night’s Dream by Shakespeare. The themes from this play that I will be focussing on throughout my prints will be in simple terms love, confusion and magic; Loves Difficulty/Love out of Balance, Magic/fairies/love potion/supernatural power of love/surreal world, Dreams/events occurring without explanation/fantastical experience. Motif: Contrasts; groups of opposites and doubles (lino print should help with this motif as there will be a clear contrast between the cut out parts and the inked parts), and juxtaposition of extraordinary differences. Symbols: the love potion – symbol of the unreasoning, fickle, erratic power of love, Theseus and Hippolyta- represent order and stability and rationality, The Craftsmen’s Play – symbol for a Midsummer Night’s Dream itself – story involving powerful emotions that is made hilarious by its comical presentation.

·         I will be aiming to communicate 3 specific messages/moods/ideas which will be closely linked with the above themes. The mood will be magical/fantastical/supernatural, to do this I will really have to push myself to create scenes that are either unrealistically beautiful, e.g. flowers and fairies etc, powerful and strong imagery, or light and dark (things slightly hidden in the dark). Also love, lust and its irrationality and indecisiveness will also be focused on. I will be looking at communicating love and marriage, order and disorder/appearance and reality, using motifs such as nature, the moon, sleep and dreams, eyes, plays, rehearsals, roles/parts and magic.

·         To an audience of viewers that may either be Shakespeare fans, may think that Shakespeare is irrelevant (hopefully my work will help to show it for its timeless themes) and so open them up to him or even just being aware of his work, teenagers/adults; the themes are complex and about love and lust, not for children. I want to produce some unique prints that provide emotion and a sense of a dream like quality.