mothbites

INITIAL IDEAS
My intial idea is to explore a 3D installation based on a 2D comic. I''m not sure yet what I want the story to be based on but I am interested in depicting magical realist themes- something about magical realism provides a space for other, historically excluded narratives to exist- by making something magical part of the everyday, the "logical" rules of writing and of society are upturned. I
m interested in rituals as a way of building community, and what queer and feminist rituals look like today- for example reading tarot or practicing Wicca. I'm also interested in visual languages and order, and what happens when we mix up and disrupt visual narratives, or reorder them so they could go in any possible direction. I don't yet know what the outcome will be like, but I anticipate it being somewhere between fine art and illustration- definitely not traditional commerical illustration.

Carmen Maria Machado - "A brief and fearful star"

Since I don't have my own storyline yet, I've decided to develop work from the magic realist feminist text "A Brief and Fearful Star". I wanted to get working visually right away rather than waiting for my own storyline to come to me, and themes of grief, altered mental states and spiritualism seem to fit with where I want to take my comic. I deliberately focused on specific images rather than trying to tell a more normal sequential story- the star over earth on the top right gradually transforms into the pupil, but I think I need more frames to make this clear-even though its deliberately abstracted its still trying to convey a visual message.

FEMINIST EXQUISITE CORPSE
I want to play with elements of chance within narratives, so I created some feminist exquisite corpses- a surrealist game for creating characters. I used different symbols of femininity, like the spiral for the spiral godess, to create some ironic characters, I like the contrast between the crude drawings and what they represent which is supposed to be effortlessly elegant.

MOTH BITES
Whilst thinking about a storyline for my comic, I remembered a piece of creative writing I did earlier in the year which I thought might fit the magical realist/feminist themes. In the story,a tapestry depicting a moon person is destroyed by the antagonist putting his cigarette out on it, also snuffing the queer relationship between the two central characters. But the main character is reunited with the moon when she turns into a moth and flies towards the moon, and they are reunited.

Text which the above was based on:

"Her absence gaped, and through the wound of it you could see everything;the horror of my circumstances, the sharp cramps of grief that appeared and disappeared and reappeared again. Her body was still and pale, and I kept thinking of parsnips and the way they slept in the soil. I could not bring myself to bury her. At night, the shadows passed by the windows, and I lay breathing and staring at the ceiling, praying them away.

My previous attempt at depicting the text didn't flow well and was unclear. I want to use Scott Mcloud's idea of "aspect to aspect" frames- focusing on different elements of a larger scene, and "non sequiters" frames with apparently no relation to each other, but I need to make my mind up on how figurative and how narrative I want it to be, because hovering between abstract and narrative is just making it visually confusing.

Gosh! Comics
I went to find underground comics in Gosh! comics london to inform the start of my project. Click on the picture of Michael Kennedy's work to take you to the research.

I think mixing the fineliner and ink creates good visual contrast, a technique inspired by illustrator Lee Lai.
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I like that this time the line "through the wound of it you could see everything" is reflected in the structure of the comic- the first page represesenting the wound through which you can see. I want to explore using the comic's physical form to depict its meaning further in my final peice

Some visual inspiration I gathered and presented to my group- I'm interested in fables and shadow puppets and dramatic lighting. Feedback is on the right.

Above is some concept art for the moment when the main character turns into a moth at the end and flies towards the moon

I want to integrate the text with the drawing somehow. I had the idea to play with scale, so that the main character is inside the weaving they are making, but I'm not sure how to integrate this into the rest of the comic.

Her absence gaped, and through the wound of it you could see everything: the horror of my circumstances

the sharp cramps of grief that appeared and disappeared and reappeared again.

Her body was still and pale, and I kept thinking of parsnips and the way they slept in the soil.

In my 3rd attempt at depicting the same text, I wanted to try and use Scott Mcloud's "aspect to aspect" theory to show elements within a larger scene

This time I used abstract shapes to depict the "sharp cramps of gried"- I think the imagery is more succesful precisely because it doesn't try to figuratively represent an emotion which is so vague and so massive at the same time.

I wanted to attempt a "silent comic"- which was challenging for such a specific and rich text. The abstract shapes are expressive and work well for me. though the brushwork could have been applied with more care- at the moment it just distracts the eye.

The left version shows each part of the text the images were attempting to depict chronologically

Post-it Note reflection on work above

LEE lAI
This artists brushwork and colour pallette inspired the ink layer on the first peice and the "spilling" effect of the gray splash in the second. I wanted to recreate the fluidity of line that contrasts with sharp crisp ones and the muted blues and greys which give the work such sombre atmosphere.

I think I will keep using the dream bubble as a panel- I like that it conveys the character being inside the dream

Below I realised that even though I'm just trying to get a sense of how the story will work visually I need to be more experimental- the last page is cut and torn

TEXT READS "After trying to explain the concept to someone else I realised the moon woman should come to life and step out of the tapestry"

Several layers show through revealing the last image- the page is supposed to represent the tapestry being destroyed- definitely want to carry the cut-out idea through to the final peice- possibly making it full of cut outs

Winsor Mccay's work helped me to change my framing and be more adventurous with perspective- more on that on the "research" page

I've decided to adapt the story from something intensely personal to make it more archetypal- more like a myth or fable.

I changed two of the characters into archetypes to make the story more of a fable- in terms of archetypes, the bull is the shadow, or immoral version of the moon goddess, the persona. Just like Carl Jung's theories about archetypes informed the rider-waite tarot deck, I want them to make the characters in my comic more universal and less individual.

I want to match words with images that don't seem to fit- maybe I could break up sentences from the original text and put them into the comic or find a way of fitting them into the final peice at the end?

THUMBNAILS FOR "MOTH BITES" COMIC

DEVELOPMENT OF A STORY FOR THE COMIC

LANGUAGE AND COMICS
I experimented with breaking up a single sentence within the story moth bites, taking the key words out of it and mixing them up, and then illustrating them using the "wrong" image for the word. I like the experimentation of it however I don't think the piece has enough meaning to work on a larger scale- its more unclear than thought provoking.

My final comic is very experimental- making it has taught me the difficulties of trying to make a narrative sequence comic with holes cut in it but I am pleased with the outome. I like how it can be read in many directions, and folded and unfolded like a map so that new stories can be created depending on different pages folds and positions. This captures the "choose your own fate" idea I wanted to whilst still enabling a dedicated reader to follow the narrative. Perphaps the overall narrative could have been clearer however when I tested it on someone who didn't know the story they were able to follow along. The comic is definitely a "fine art comic" if there can be such a thing- it enables the reader to form narratives and encourages them, but does not force one meaning or message definitively.

I want to display it like this within my exhibition as I think it shows the 3D potential of what is normally considered 2D territory- like the books in Book Art Bookshop, shoreditch, it is not just a story but a model.

In the first page of my comic I stuck with the dream bubble as a panel idea but this time made it extend out of the book so that it stood out. I think its worked although the link between the main chracters mind and the bubble could be clearer.

The second page features a cut out of the threads and combines abstract hands weaving. While I think it could be clearer I like the way the two layers of threads combine to create an optical illusion and I'm happy with the threaded background

The 3rd and 5th pages together. One thing that's worked is the way you can combine different page combinations to make different stories, giving you many possibilities for how to read the comic and what conclusions to draw from it.

The second and third pages interact with each other through the window- I'm pleased with the fact that I manage to integrate the window somehow into the design so that it doesn't look out of place- the fact that I cut out parts of pages limits the design below but I think although some of them are less clear than I'd like I have successfully managed to intergrate the design.

One of the last pages represents the tapestry . The holes cut through are designed to mimic the moth bites. I like the colour and the way the text is integrated.
The page on the right is simple- perhaps I should have done it in colour but I wanted the contrast of the fineliner and the chris ware like clarity with the fluid inky work. I also wanted some bits to be easy to follow to give you fragments of easy narrative to contrast with the more abstracted parts.

This page is woven together with different strands, so that you can change the design and words of the image, like a children's flip book. I like the multiple meanings and sentences created by this.

The page layout overall
(left)

One thing that's most successful in my opinion is the way the pictures interact with each other on different planes and once you fold and move them, though I should have used a thicker card to account for the 3D work as some of it is starting to get fragile

This page is the least successful in my opinion as the clarity is lost and the quality of the drawing's scruffy, I should have taken more care with the cutting og the strips and drawn the design onto the back before I cut them, however I was having a hard time visualising what the design would look like on the reverse of the weaving page

I think the most successful pages are the ones that take advantage of dramatic tonal contrasts while the less successful ones like those on the bottom right of this picture are the ones done in fineliner that follow the form you would expect them to.

I need to think about how to make this project into 3D work and incorporate it into my final peice- so far I am thinking about creating some kind of projection and maybe using a rug to make a real life version of the tapestry, with cigarettes hot glued to it. I also want to incorporate the moon person somehow- maybe in a lantern or sculpture? I need to start experimenting to see what works best and what will be most immersive for the viewer. Making this comic has taken far longer than I had planned, as it was much more experimental and less of a normal sequential comic in a book. I am happy that I achieved an experimental outcome as it is more in keeping with the peice, however I did not plan for all the time it would take to peice this together and I am now left with less time to experiment for the final installation, I need to revise my plan and see what to prioritise.

My original plan is over ambitious- it doesnt allow enough time for choosing a storyline and it doesn't account for the fact I experimented with magical surrealist text before deciding to go in a different direction. In addition, I vastly underestimated how long it would take to pencil ink and colour a comic, especially a complicated artist book type of comic. Below I have adjusted my plan to focus on what I need to get done before the installation

About halfway through making my comic I got feedback from many of my peers in a crit session. This helped me realise I need to make the experience of my installation more immersive and clarify a few themes, and think about if there's any way I could reproduce my work. If I have time I could think about producing a zine with scans of the comic, but I don't know whether this would fit into the handcrafted aesthetic I am trying to go for where the point is that the work is handmade and hard to reproduce. I'm more going for the art bookshop's individual books with 1 copy each by individual authors than something easy to print out. I need to focus my time more on practical experimenting and developing my installation rather than doing so much research

Paul Noble's "found" objects within his ficititious world have inspired me to try and make 3D props that could have been "found" within my world. I wanted to make a plaster cast of my hand to hold the cigarette that stubs out the tapestry in the story. I have never used plaster before so it was a steep learning curve but eventually after many tries of getting the consistency right I achieved the finish I wanted.
My first attempt (left) wasn't mixed properly and was too lumpy leaving air bubbles, and I wasn't gentle enough when taking it out of the cast whilst my 2nd and 3rd attempts gradually improved my mixing skills, capturing more details and causing less air bubbles.

FEEDBACK AND CHANGING PLANS

PROP MAKING AND TESTING MATERIALS

I then used aginate- another material new to me to make a mould of my hand. This also took several tries and I made a cast of my finger first to see how the material worked. I found it challenging to get all of the plaster poured into the holes in the mould as they were quite deep and needed to be filled completely and before the mould caved in on itself

I first practiced casting with a mould with one finger- the result is better than expected but you can still see a lump in the mould where some detail has been lost, so I tried to get the ratio right by measuring the volume of my hand and working off that.

I'm happy with the final cast- though its not quite deep enough to catch the bottom of the last two fingers it has that statue qaulity I was looking for and the detail is good for my first time casting

I experimented with wire and tissue moths that I am planning to hang up or incorporate into the exhibition so you get a sense of its title. I think these are successful and I am considering suspending them on wires/ invisible string to make a hanging installation- I will need some kind of rod to attatch this to

I went to a specialist weaver's shop to get an accurate idea of the tools and wool involved. Although from this research I concluded I don't have time to weave my tapestry, I bought some wool and some weaver's tools and am hoping to work these in both to make props and as readymade items to be finishing touches

Experimented with mod rock and paint to make a 3D versions of one of the scenes in the comic- the moon image coming out of the tapestry and becoming a person. I haven't used modrock before so the sculptures a little crude but I actually like the naive quality- it looks like certain types of amateur and handmade religious art and icons which fits the aim of trying to make mysterious treasured objects. Maybe I will create a niche/box for it although I'm not sure how it would fit into the final isntallation

Initial Ideas for installation- I think I will combine three panels and use a cloth at the front to create a booth one person can enter- this way it will be an immersive experience for them. I need to think about what extra requirements I might need eg lights.

I've found a way to make the exhibtion interactive by returning to the idea of stop motion animation. I was researching alchemy when I found the myth of the three fates- weavers in greek mythology who decide the birth, path and death of mortals by spinning weaving and cutting thread. I think this could be a good way to resolve my ideas about parallel storylines and different threads of meaning and the comic I have made- I could use the three fates and weaving to be a metaphor for storytelling

Exploring ideas for the first fate "the spinner" below. I like the brush marks although the imagery could be more inventive

I have come up with the idea to use each of the three fates as inspiration for 3 stop motion animations which could be displayed in my installation- the first one or "The Spinner" representing the start of the story, the second one "The Drawer of Threads" representing a parallel narrative and the 3rd "The unturning" representing endings.

Hand Spinning
I studied hand spinning and practiced using stop motion to animate the action of it.
If the video on the right isnt working please copy and paste the link below into your browser:
https://vimeo.com/717355275

The Spinner First Attempt
This is my first attempt at a video of "The Spinner" I like how it turned out however after watching Melies "A trip to the moon I decided the choice of white on black background was more atmospheric so decided to redo it. This one has a lot smoother animation than my first attempts.
If video doesn't work please copy paste link below into browser:
https://vimeo.com/717442895

CHOOSE
This is the first stop motion I made. I wanted to use something very simple to practice and I was thinking perhaps I could use it on the start page as a preface to my three final videos. Its quite shaky but I like the black and white grungy aesthetic.
Link:
https://vimeo.com/717446311

One of my first attempts at stop motion animation- I like the use of lighting and props but I want to move to something 2D to reference the comic and link the comic and installation together. I think my camera and lighting skills improved since the first ones as this one is quite shaky.

The Spinner- Final Video
I tried doing this in black and white but in the end I decided to apply a filter to it as I thought it made the details sharper, the difference in light levels smaller, and made the whole thing look neater and more professional. It also made it easier to give a sense of unity between the three videos as they all had the same filter used on them. The beige and brown fitted well with the natural earth tones of the tapestry, the moths and the moon sculpture. Although some of the letters are backwards, time constraints did not allow me to redo this so I kept the original video.
Link: https://vimeo.com/717469160

The Drawer of Threads
This video was going well until I realised a lot of the frames had my hand in due to me using the timer for the first time. I think its useable but next time I would improve it by using the timer for shorter periods of time. I think the text intertwining and demonstrtating its meaning is good.
Link:
https://vimeo.com/717467689

The Unturning
Even though this video is the simplest out of the three I think its strength lies within that,I was inpired by the optical comics of Henri Dumas to focus on illusions and visuals rather than making it too figurative.

EXHIBITION PLAN AND DIORAMA

I created a dioarama to show my final installation plans. Since realising that the original rug I was planning on using would be too heavy to walk through I have changed my plans, instead hoping to use a lighter cloth for the front entrance (pictured below) and hanging the cigarettes from strings instead of gluing them onto the tapestry at the entrance. I will also be making my own tapestry instead of using a readymade rug as I could not find one suitable and I think my work will fit with the atmosphere better anyway.

A more detailed animation plan for the drawer of threads (right_
Above- general ideas for trio of animations. Three is also a special number in Wicca and many other religions, and there are three stages to a traditional story - beginning middle and end, so to make one based on the fates just made sense

I have spoken to the technician and arranged for a number of extras to be put in place for set up such as: a laptop with access to a plug socket nearby to play the animation on, three black panels attached which I will make a booth with instead of one white one, rods to go across the top of the panels to suspend the (unlit) cigarettes and cloth from. To reduce fire risk I will be using battery powered fairy lights to light my peice as well as taking advantage of the light coming from the laptop. I will be using a plinth from my studio to stand the laptop screen on, which will have an identical display the page on this website called "outcome" and through which the viewer will "choose a card"- one box out of three with the animation names on it, to watch one of the animations displayed above.

I'm going to write phrases from the comic and the animation onto the walls with white paint marker, as well as using the marker to connect and draw links between my three fates illustrations- below

Since I can't use the panels yet to display my work, I will do things like drawing on them and attaching the props during the installation of the exhibition. Many of my props need drying time so I will only be able to attach them when they are dry however below are the objects that will be in the installation and the diorama and diagrams show exactly where they will be placed. I plan to have one each of the fates illustrations on each of the three walls, as well as the plaster cast hand, real cigarrettes smoked to various degrees suspended from the ceiling, and a sculpted moon face, pictured below

To the left is the moon face I planning on mounting on the ceiling on one of the walls. I'm going to experiment with LEDS to make it glow and mount it high so it seems like you're looking up at it.
I want to mount the mod rock sculpture of the moon character coming out of the tapestry next to it to give it a sense of symmetry and make it seem like a crucifix in a shrine- it has a fairly similar shape whilst the moon echos a halo. I think this with the candles will transport the viewer and give the experience a sense of hush and ritual. I might also play music or rain sounds quietly in the background on the screen with the animations

I created three illustrations which I will be using in my exhibition inspired by the three fates- the spinner the drawer of threads and the unturning. These correspond to the animations of the same name I have made and draw reference from alchemy drawings and french underground comics (see the research page for more).

To the left is the tapestry I have created to hang inside the booth inspired by the work of anni albers and emma talbot and based on my own comic, I like the linearity of it even though it is fabric. Beneath that is the cloth I will use as a curtain for my entrance and underneath one of the text boxes is an example of the moths that will hang suspended from the air.