Frances's Communications Blog

The Creative

My body of work is primarily illustrative and often story focused. Usually featuring defined characters, nature and elements of genre fiction. My work spans traditional and digital paintings, to drawings, to short form comics, occasional writing, and the integration of these mediums into design. This affinity for story stems from my childhood interest in ‘low brow’ genre fiction, fantasy and sci fi and international comics. The works of Shirly Barbers fairy stories and fantasy fiction set my love for the pastoral. I began to be drawn towards traditional painting and medieval styles, and the Arts and Crafts movement in particular. While I don’t think myself educated enough to have distinct political opinions, I’m drawn to handicraft methods as a reaction to over industrialization same as William Morris and other figureheads of Arts and Crafts. For the more ethical production and imperfect uniqueness of the handmade[FR1] . But for as much as these movements are reactionary rebellion, they’re often escapism as well. Since the pastoral is aspirational, I’d argue escapism is inherent to the movement to a degree, but its excess in Cottagecore and Arts and Craft spaces makes me uncomfortable. Real life isn’t escapable. Simultaneously, I don’t think fiction needs to adhere to ‘high’ art standards to be taken seriously as more than ‘escapism entertainment.’ Nor that any level of escapism is immoral. Fantasy elements allow for metaphor and emotion to heighten in ways simple depiction doesn’t capture the same way. This is taken to extremes by weird fiction sci fi/fantasy authors like China Mievile and Jeff Vandermeer. Of their works, my favorite involves eldritch horror and Romantic sublime nature as an overwhelming force[fr2] .

Horror is a genre I found through its frequent pairings of sci fi and fantasy. Until recently, it was seen as sensational, cheap, and exploitative. But its reactionary disregard for societal convention means   horror will approach strong negative emotions, non-conformist femininity, queerness, physical and societal critique because its goal is to upset. We are drawn to horror out of morbid curiosity, information [FR3] gathering about desperate and dangerous scenarios, so we can watch and learn for our own lives. (Clasen & Scrivner 2021) This is why I like storytelling; its parallels help me process my own problems. So, a genre with more conflict makes more poignant metaphors. Horror is also associated with the feminine and queer. Even if the depiction is villainizing (queerness) or villainizing and victimizing simultaneously (femininity). Horror allowing for their depictions gave me a way to see myself and my problems that other genres don’t have the same pedigree of.

Comics are also a bedrock of my work. My art style is a heavily influenced by European [FR4] artists (and often writers) like Herge, Moebius and Kerascoet, with delicate, complete cartoons with drawn back perspectives. More interested in simple portrayal than the high character drama American commercial comics I also take inspiration from. Largely works from commercial publishes like ICW, Marvel and Image comics. These inspire me narrative, with likable, character driven, emotional stories. Japanese comics are also influences, not just in story but in art style. I grew up online surrounded by artists inspired by anime and manga, which in turn influenced me.

I’ve discussed my predilution for fantasy and sci fi, but not horror. All of these interests interconnect and fuel each other. Comics are largely genre fiction. Fantasy and sci fi stories are often horror. Horror is often queer. Queer is often cottage core, which is often fantasy and sci fi, and so on and so on.

While I incorporate illustration into my graphic design, I’ve neglected interactive design, my future career. I’m inspired by the high-quality interactive fiction often found of Itch.io. Works like queer horror artist KittyHorrorShow’s avant-garde eldritch fiction and character focused slice of life Wide Ocean Big Jacket are personal inspirations for creating story focused, meaningfully interactable experiences. This is an avenue that combines all my interests and is ripe to be explored.

The Creation

William Moris and his philosophies are inspirational and analogous to my own. He was the figurehead of the Arts and Crafts movement, a late 19th, early 20th century British movement concerned with bespoke decorative and fine arts[FR5] . This was in reaction to over industrialization, a relevant issue with current matters of climate change, overconsumption, and rising cost of living. I draw both from Moris and his own inspirations, such as folk art and Romanticism. A 18th century movement concerned with emotion, individualism, and nature. My work is overly emotional and handmade, using the warmth and texture of traditional mediums. The sublime Romantics and modern horror creatives also both depict nature as existentially larger than us, both for purposes of awe and almost Lovecraftian horror, something I explore in my own work[FR6] . It represents existentialism and is also comforting somehow, playing a smaller part is less pressure. Though for all Moris’s environmentalism and ideals, it also worth noting that by his own admission he didn’t change much societally, and neither do I. I also disagree with over glorification of the past or individualism since they’re often used to justify abuse.

Jaeden Pirfano Kristofferson is an online artist I’ve followed for some time. His exaggerated surrealist colors, shapes and expressions conveys the story and emotion of his characters perfectly. His work is considered ‘low art’, often being fanart, horror, genre and queer. But he’s one of my favorite artists and I was drawn to him for these features for reasons I’ve discussed before, excepting fandom. To be honest, I came from a fandom background, like many young internet artists. I got into art because I cared about stories and wanted to communicate with the original content and from there the world at large. And I stayed the course because of the surrounding community. Online art’s accessibility for creation and distribution makes it a hot bed of passion driven, not for profit, independent art. To me, these features give the same presence as ‘old fashioned artisan’ work. A significant portion of online art is in fandom, since it’s so populated with creatives that draws in or creates more artists. Fandom continues to be associated with the feminine and queer as well. Despite being almost three decades old, John Fiske’s take on fandom rings true. Fandom is associated with culture that dominant systems denigrate. Comics, movies, shows, pop music, celebrities, and genre fiction. “It is thus associated with the cultural tastes of subordinated formations of the people, particularly with those disempowered by any combination of gender, age, class and race.” (Fiske, 1993, p. 27).

Mike Mignola is a comic artist and writer, most famous for his B.P.R.P.D and Hellboy comic series. Both set in the same alternate universe of our own. His writing and art are what drew me to him. Mignola’s worlds are filled with mythology, folk tales, pulp action and extremely human inhuman protagonists. His stories hit me in the right time of my life for me to get attached to the characters. His gothic sensibilities art clear, originally a 18th century medieval revivalist movement associated with the Romantic, before becoming a genre that’s a little different everywhere. But always with a sense of ruin, isolation, over emotion and times gone by[FR7] . He was also inspired by pulp magazines and authors like Robert E Howard and Manly Wade Wellman. Pulp magazines being names for the cheap paper they were printed on so they could be sold to the masses. He was also inspired by authors like Micheal Moorcock, a favourite of mine regarding alienating fantasy, or HP Lovecraft and his contemporaries in eldritch existential horror. (Ferno, 2014) Medieval, emotional, and unsettling continue returning themes for my work thanks to their human storytelling potential. However, it’s his art that really attracts. High contrast, styled like sharp rock, gothic and efficient. He's economical but bold, making moody impressions easily. I recall noticing how faces for his scenes could be a few lines of shadow, complex architecture would be simplified to shapes or how he'd cover a background in black, so he didn't have to draw it. Cutting corners is common in high volume productions like comics and Mignola pulls it off with style. This project’s made me much more aware of how much I need to do and as an anxious perfectionist with a limited life, this stylish and efficient techniques are aspirational.

Jeff Vandermeer exemplifies high fantasy, sci fi, and a recurring inspiration of mine: the sublime. 18th and 19th century art influences me in many ways, including the Romantics and their concept of the sublime regarding nature and atmosphere. The Romantic era began in England, it was emotional, individualistic, emotional, a reaction to the industrial revolution and emphasising illogical yet powerful emotion. To them, the sublime is the greatness of something beyond measurability, calculation, or imitation, filling the viewer with intimidation and awe. Often its applied to nature. Consider the night sky, huge waterfalls, storms, and sunsets. Or manmade structures like skyscrapers, cathedrals, or dams. Vandermeer positions nature as a supernatural sublime force in his work, creating existential horror from forces out of our control. He upholds elements like mould, microorganisms, deep sea creatures and almost alien forms, inspiring me to have a similar fascination with them. For me, this expresses my existential worries and exemplifies the beauty of nature. Vandermeer is an environmentalist, inspired by the way the local wildlife that inspired his work was degrading. “We need to stop pretending there's a nature and there's an us… we'll one day realize that there is no separation, but by then it'll be too late.” (Vandermeer, 2018, para 10). I agree perfectly with his sentiments on environmentalism. Given the power Vandermeer gives his moss and mould, it’s safe to say he doesn’t think we can defeat nature, only cause enough harm to change it as we know it. And as we’ve evolved to live in it. (Maher, 2018).

Bibliography

Clasen, M. Scrivner, C. (2021). Why frightening imaginary worlds? Morbid curiosity and the learning potential of horror. https://psyarxiv.com/nvfbt/download?format=pdf

Naylor, G. (1988). William Morris by himself. https://www.amazon.com/William-Morris-Himself-Designs-Writings/dp/0760755639

Fiske, J. (1992). The Cultural Economy of Fandom. In The Adoring Audience. . pp. 27-47  Routlendge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780203181539-4/cultural-economy-fandom-john-fiske

Ferno, C. (2014, March 17). HELLBOY WEEK: MIKE MIGNOLA Talks Literary and Pulp Influences. 13th Dimension, Comics, Creators, Culture. https://13thdimension.com/hellboy-week-mike-mignola-talks-literary-and-pulp-influences/