Discovery: Process Pt 1 of 3
The Illustration Master Class is an annual, week long, intensive illustration workshop held in Amherst Massachusetts. Organized by Rebecca Leveille Guay, the event provides the opportunity for those wishing to develop and learn as illustration artists (such as myself) to study and explore creating illustration art with some of the most illustrious illustrators working today.
I attended the IMC for the first time last summer and decided (as many participants do) to return. I had a better idea as to what to expect this year - and knew it would be an intense and exhausting experience.
Isaacius and the Snake: The illustration I created at last year’s IMC
The event actually begins about one month before the trip to Amherst College. The participants receive Prompts; illustration problems from which you can select to address in the illustration you create during your week’s time at the IMC. Participants are asked to select a prompt and create one to four thumbnails exploring possible visual solutions.
Required for ALL Focus Groups [students select a focus group when registering, 1a is the narrative traditional illustration (my selection), 1b is narrative digital illustration, and 2 is the Gallery group]:
concept sketches for the crit wall on day one. These thumbnails by Greg Manchess are a good representation of what we
would like to see for concept sketches: a clear border for the piece, clear gestures and shapes, and an indication of the overall value scheme.
Creating multiple sketches helps to flesh out your concept from different angles and will give the faculty members a selection from which they will center their critique around the concept with the strongest potential.
There were quite a few prompts provided; I selected two to explore, but also pursued thumbnails revolving around a story I am creating - as the IMC also allows participants to set aside the prompts and work on a personal project. The prompts I explored included:
1) From Irene Gallo (Art Director: Tor Books)
Mystical Discovery / Remnants of Ancient Culture
Fantasy or science fiction.
A single person or group comes across a mystical place. It could be an ancient temple or half buried structure (fantasy or alien structure on a
planet), a magical beast, or even the landscape itself (a particularly impressive waterfall, tree, etc.) The idea is to create a sense of wonder and/or a setting with an ancient past unknown to our characters.
2) From Cynthia Sheppard (Art Director: Magic: The Gathering)
These are hypothetical Magic: The Gathering card art assignments.
Art Title: Woodland Summoner
Size: 3334 x 2449 pixels / W: 53mm x H: 40mm • Sketch Due: 6/12/2017 • Final Due: 6/18/2017
Location: Deep in a forest
Action: We see a male elf shaman raising a wooden staff in some kind of summoning ritual. The head of the staff is carved to look like a stylized animal's head, and its “eyes” glow with green magic. On either side of the elf, forest creatures are emerging perhaps
a wolf, a stag, a wild boar up to you. All the creatures’ eyes glow with the same green magic, as though they’re under the shaman’s control.
Mood: “All the forest is my protection"
Notes: Elves in Magic have taken many appearances depending on their plane of origin since this isn’t set on a specific plane, pointy ears are the only requirement the rest is yours to design.
3) Ambush The piece designed to illustrate a moment from the story I am writing is captured in the following text:
Lucky and Jinx had found their father. The signal fire that had drawn Patch’s attention lit the glade, shadows leaping as the flames danced. Their dad, sword extended in both hands, stood back to back with Patch and two other armed rabbit warriors. On the ground, another rabbit lay motionless. The rat the boys had followed through the wood joined another, very large rat, and two goblin warriors (one walking with a noticeable limp) encircling their father and his companions. The rabbits were in trouble.
I like to sketch in Procreate with my Apple Pencil on my iPad Pro. I set the background color to a neutral brown, sketching with a darker brown and white. I sketch with various Procreate brushes, predominantly using the HB, 6B, and Pastel Chalk tools.
Not knowing which direction my work may progress (my initial sketches changed dramatically after the first day of critique last year), I still decided to shoot reference in preparation for the week. Even with the substantial changes made the year before, the reference imagery I had prepared served my very well. I shot a lot of reference for each prompt and for each of the thumbnails.
One of the ideas was situated on a quiet, reflective body of water. I built a clay model and shot the image set on a mirror.
I built reference for the rats and rabbits.
I also gathered inspirational imagery, stills from films and inspirational art. I am only displaying a very small selection of the reference imagery I created and collected here.
I printed the three sets of thumbnails to pin up during the critique. In advance of the IMC week, we were asked to sign up to have our work critiqued by select faculty groups. Last year I had registered with Greg Manchess, Irene Gallo, and Mike Mignola. This year I elected to receive Critique from Donato Giancola and John Jude Palencar, figuring it would be good to mix it up a bit. The faculty spend time with everyone during the week, so I knew I would receive feedback from both Greg and Irene as the week progressed.
Ready for the week, I packed up my resources, supplies, clothes, etc. and boarded a plane for the east coast!
Discovery Pt 2 can be found here.
Discovery Pt 3 can be found here.