Project Type: Text heavy picture Book - an adaptation of Hesiod's Works and Days story of Pandora's creation
Specifications: 300 dpi, full colour (CMYK), 24 pages (including cover, spine and intro pages)
Timeframe: 4 weeks
Deliverables: 10 full spread illustrations, cover page/spine/back cover, end pages
Audience: Adults with an interest in greek mythology
Aims: To make the original story of pandora's box accessible to wider audiences - bringing to life Hesiod's words
Specifications: 300 dpi, full colour (CMYK), 24 pages (including cover, spine and intro pages)
Timeframe: 4 weeks
Deliverables: 10 full spread illustrations, cover page/spine/back cover, end pages
Audience: Adults with an interest in greek mythology
Aims: To make the original story of pandora's box accessible to wider audiences - bringing to life Hesiod's words
Research
Originally appearing in Hesiod's Theogony in 7th century BC - Pandora is created by Hephaestus at Zeus' command, acting as a punishment for Prometheus (and by association humanity) stealing fire. She is described as a "lovely curse" or "beautiful evil", but is not named in this text.
Later in Works and Days Hesiod tells the story again, giving her the name Pandora ("all-gifted"). She is sent to Epimetheus with a jar (mistranslated as a box in later centuries) containing all the miseries and evils of humanity. Her curious nature leads her to open the jar, and the contents all pour out into the world. She slams the jar shut and the only thing that remains is "hope".
Pandora's Jar is a myth that serves as an explanation for the origin of human suffering and hardships.
Later in Works and Days Hesiod tells the story again, giving her the name Pandora ("all-gifted"). She is sent to Epimetheus with a jar (mistranslated as a box in later centuries) containing all the miseries and evils of humanity. Her curious nature leads her to open the jar, and the contents all pour out into the world. She slams the jar shut and the only thing that remains is "hope".
Pandora's Jar is a myth that serves as an explanation for the origin of human suffering and hardships.
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The full myth of Pandora's Jar in Works and Days
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IDEAS
Thumbnails: Page 1-2
Zeus hiding fire from Prometheus
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Page sketch
Cleaned up sketch
Colour and texture
Final page
Aphrodite and Hermes creating Pandora: Page 5-6
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Colour and texture
Making the heart, small adjustments to colours and composition
Athena and the woven cloths: Page 7-8
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Composition
Colour and light added
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Punch up colours and line tightness
Texture/lighting, knockback some of the noiser elements (the greenery was overpowering the cheacters)
Crit 1:
- Refine graphical shapes to bring more clarity - move zeus left so that the hand does not cross the end of the page
- Make sure characters are expressing/moving in a more clear way - Prometheus need to be grabbing the cape and hiding and the face needs to be changed to be more expressive, the cloth on Hermes needs to make sense
- Refine Athena's expression, hands, and bring in some vines so that she isn't floating
- Flip third image and enlist the help of a graphic designer for typography moving forward
Hand placement and flame changes
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Same as above, with more shadows to add depth.
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EXPRESSION - SPITEFUL
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Prometheus character exploration
Youngish or more serious? "Playing with fire" impulsive character - striving for the good of humanity
Heavy cloak or "warmth" to represent fire - cinders in hair(?) - reds/oranges/browns vvv autumnal
Angry/spiteful expression
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TIME TO FIX THE TYPOGRAPHY
The joys of indesign: Drop caps for pizazz,layouts etc.
The joys of indesign: Drop caps for pizazz,layouts etc.
Hephaestus making Pandora from the sea and earth: Page 9-10
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simplify to be clearer
Different direction
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CRIT 2
oh boy.
Okay so the style doesn't work ,naturalism is hampering the creative flow -more refinement with colour is needed.
Okay so the style doesn't work ,naturalism is hampering the creative flow -more refinement with colour is needed.
Fix Athena - flowing dress, vines to support her, clearer covering over hand. Move over to the right so not so close to margins.
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Pandora and Epimetheus: Page 11-12
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Type placement
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Side research (thx Tony) look at Grammar of Ornament for Greek patterns:
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Trying to make my own
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WHAT AM I DOING
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MAKE THAT FIRE WHITE HOT
Less is more? Have the characters backlit only by the fire of the forge
Pandora opening the jar: Page 13-14
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What does a magical jar that contains all the worlds miseries yet is appealing to open look like?
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REEL IT IN - thumbnails.
Crit 3:
oh boy.
"Your art is never boring, but an explosion is never boring either."
HAVE CONTROL OVER THE IMAGE. GET IT TOGETHER.
oh boy.
- Bring sharpness and softness - merge the two styles of texture and dynamic shapes, some can be louder while some can be quieter, the two can and should exist simultaneously. e.g
- Forge page edits - sparks flying out opposite direction as well, knock back the black and reds, give the girl an expression for storytelling, add softness through texture (sharp edge of hair needs to be softened with this) add warmth to her colours, bring her hair into shape - lungs could have blood spilling out.
- For Epithemeus and Pandora page - Add subtle sharp texture behind text, and fix her expression - mainly a soft image but still needs a slight underlying sharpness in the background.
- Overall: Work one one or two iterations to work up not millions of iterations - probably have the right idea but can make it a good one by spending time on it and editing/critiquing it myself - have a god damn magnifying glass of scrutiny
"Your art is never boring, but an explosion is never boring either."
HAVE CONTROL OVER THE IMAGE. GET IT TOGETHER.
Adding sharpness through light rays, texture throughout skin and hair, re-did the face, add parallel dynamic behind text.
Redraw Pandora's face to have more detail as the main focal point
Redraw expression, give sparks to the left side of image, have the lungs bleeding out, give more warmth to Pandora's colours, and soften the outlines, knock back the dark background with some lighter brown.
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Add in details - take back control of the colours
Add in typography
Thumbnails
Thumbnails to carry forward
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Pandora and the Hours
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BORING AS HELL - TIME FOR AN EXPLOSION
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REVISITING THE PROJECT (AFTER 6 WEEKS)
Cover design
Fixing the typography to match Icarus project
Redoing the worst pages:
Honestly this one is a bit of a nightmare overall but some of it would be salvaged, adding way more depth to the image (hello shadows) some interest to the background so they're not in the void. Still not great but better than before.
Honestly this one is a bit of a nightmare overall but some of it would be salvaged, adding way more depth to the image (hello shadows) some interest to the background so they're not in the void. Still not great but better than before.
Goodbye branch hellscape I know now how to give things space :D (clearer composition, less background noise - colours chosen)
IT CAN BE BETTER TRY AGAIN
Redrawing the finale - LITERALLY what was I thinking (references are now used)
Lets get some ionic greek pillars and jars in here.
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Colour grading
Hey presto we have a winner
Redrawing Aphrodite and Hermes page
