Portraits

Here are the portraits. The eyes are kept hidden from the viewer, so it is almost impossible to render the image faux/real.

More Experiments

Fine Little Day

Elisabeth Dunker is Fine Little Day. She has done work for the like of Urban Outfitters and has an amazing blog. She is from Sweden and produces some of the most influential photography I've ever seen.

Test Shoots

Taxidermy Diversity Photograph Inspiration

"Cryptozoology is the study and investigation of evidence for animals unexpected in time or place or in size or shape." Professor Roy P. Mackal,In Search of Prehistoric Survivors: Do Giant 'Extinct' Creatures Still Exist ?(London: Blandford 1995), "

Okay, you've spent much time and money hunting down a somewhat sensational animal, but all you have to show for it is footprints, sightings, and maybe a fuzzy photograph. It was all hard work that took much patience, yet you feel you have gotten enough evidence. However, after having reported your findings, you've discovered that the work has only begun. Despite your evidence, few people believe it. If anyone takes it seriously, it's only to pick it all apart, and tell you what animal it really was that you or others saw. And if you've got a picture, it's certain that it will somewhere be branded a hoax. Objective examination will be about as rare as the animal you've been searching for.

The most likely opposition to be encountered is claims of fraud/hoax or misidentification. Such claims are sometimes true, yet usually are easily countered by common sense. Fraud is often fairly obvious by minor facts or details that are contradictory or incorrect. Sometimes hoaxes actually have too many details. Few hoaxes stand up to serious, objective examination.

Misidentification (seeing something known, but mistaking it for something unknown) is more likely to be true than fraud. However, it's not as common as may be supposed. If a witness knows the animals of his area, misidentification is very unlikely. Yet, the "armchair experts" have long lists of what people have actually seen. Some of the explanations truly are correct in some situations, yet, when viewed objectively, the scientist's explanations are often harder to believe than the observers' eyewitness reports.

ReCap

I've taken a step back and reassessed my aim. I feel I have wondered off on some tangent that isn't enforced enough by the research carried out in the initial stages. Cryptozoology is the 'science' of proving the Cryptozoology has been criticised because of its reliance on anecdotal information and because some cryptozoologists do not typically follow the scientific method and devote a substantial portion of their efforts to investigations of animals that most scientists believe are unlikely to have existed

Amelie Riding Her Bike

Fishing

Finally I have done something I am happy with. Full steam ahead now...

I have decided to do a book on a collection on stories I am currently writing based on mythical and magical creatures. I have 'Lucy and the Yeti' (which I have now changed the name to 'Amelie and the Yeti' to fit with the other stories) and one about a chocolate whale - 'Amelie and the Whale' (which this new illustration is for).

Amelie and the Whale

The sky was blue and the clouds were white

As Amelie awoke to the morning light

Stretching her hands and scratching her hair

She pulled on a dress that was sat on the chair

Click on the kettle and spring up the toast

Today Amelie was off to the coast!

“I mustn’t forget my watch”, she thought

The one in the market, yesterday she bought

She hopped on her bicycle and began to ride

Through towns and villages, towards the seaside

Amelie passed a giant lake to her right

So she stopped to take in the magnificent sight

Whilst leaning over the water, she saw perfection

But then off slipped her watch into her reflection

“Oh no, my watch!” She sighed with regret

“Now it’s going to be soaking wet!”

Looking around, there was no one to be seen

Expect for a boy, no older than nineteen

Holding a rod higher than him

Made of willow, long and thin

Casting out to the water, deep

The line was tense, strong and steep

“Excuse me, pardon me

My name is Amelie

I saw you fishing from across the lake

And wondered what you are using for bait?”

Reaching down inside his coat

He pulled out what was attached to the float

With a look of confusion and a flick of her hair

Amelie could do nothing but stare!

There in his hand was a marshmallow, pink

Rubbing her eyes she continued to blink

“A marshmallow” he said, “If used as bait

Will catch a chocolate fish, as long as you wait!”

Then all of a sudden there was tug

Pulling the boy to the ground with a thud

Scrambling to his feet he pulled

And pulled, and pulled, and pulled, and pulled

Until…

Out from the ripples emerged a beast

A humongous, magnificent chocolaty feast!

It was Whale for sure, Amelie saw

But a different Whale what she had seen before

“I don’t believe my eyes”, she said

“Quick” mouthed the boy, grabbing the thread

The sun was hot and high that day

And the pair did not notice the Whale melting away

Soon enough, there was nothing left

Just a large, melted, chocolate mess!

From under the puddle, Amelie saw something shine

A golden watch caught onto the line!

“Hurrah!” She celebrated, rubbing it clean

Although the water had left it a little sea-green

With her watch on her arm and a smile on her face

She climbed on her bike and went home with grace

Mountain

More Inspiration

Style Experiments

William Stobbs - The Little White Hen

Stress Induced Coma

Okay. So I am actually having a nervous breakdown from this project. Nothing I am doing seems to be fitting what I want this to look like. I just seem to can't find the right style to illustrate in. Maybe I just need to spend a week experimenting with loads of different stuff.

I had an idea to make a giant stuffed Yeti and use photograph instead with real people...planning a trip up to Scotland for location shooting.

Maybe everything could be 3D...made from paper and set up for be photographed?

back to the drawing board...

Page 1

Yeti & Robin Playing Hide & Seek

First Illustration in the bag. Only took a day, and with 30 left and only 2 weeks for finish this is looking fairly upsetting.

Illustration Index

1) Snowstorm over a town

2) Lucy in the snowstorm with her scarf blown off carrying a log

3) Yeti playing hide and seek with a robin

4) Lucy covered in snow, taking shelter on a snowy 'stump'

5) Stump starts moving

6) Stump turns into Yeti's head

7) Yeti stands up and she falls onto his shoulders

8) Yeti carrying her out the storm

9) " "

10) " '

11) Yeti sets her down by a lake

12) She tells him she doesnt believe in him

13) He shows her the lake

14) Loch ness monster!

15) He says "come on let me show you"

16) Pygmpy elephant

17) Okapi

18) Gorilla

19) Reaches the road

20) Says goodbye

21) She gives him her snowboats

22) She leaves

23) View of the town

24) View into Lucys window

25) Lucy talking to her dad of her day

26) He says don't be silly

27) View of the whole mountain and town, Yeti is pulling his stuffing into snow over the town

Lucy

Getting There....

It's been a day full of experiments. It's been a while since I picked up a pen, sliced some paper and glued card...But we seem to be getting somewhere.

Really reminds me of Matisse style collages.

I developed a way of shading that looks like waves. Happy accident I guess...may have to use it in the story....

More Character Development

Moldy Fruit