Minor project: Influence and Characters

After having collected keywords about the market from family, I have started researching into the characters listed. (water men, storytellers, fire breathers, exotic dancers, snake charmers, beggars, fortune tellers)
Below are some photographs I have taken during my holiday back home, Morocco, and others I have found very interesting in terms of exaggeration and style.

These are some drawings of the characters I find most interesting, however I will be drawing the rest of the list and pick those who would be more 'influencing'.

In order to loosen up, I have experimented with ink and tried to get the gesture of the characters and went on to draw the characters in a slightly exaggerated, expressionistic style using graphite, charcoal, ink and watercolour.
Next I will be focusing on facial features using the african masks research as well as experimenting with colours to find the right textures.

Minor Project: Animation Idea + Style Influence

After my tutorial with Phil, it has been suggested that a different approach to the project was necessary in order to successfully communicate the message.

The animation will be more focused on my own experience and portraying that exotic, magical feeling in the market rather than an adaptation of the "Last Storytellers: Tales from the heart of Morocco" however it will still be inspired by it and will include voiceover using extracts from the book.

This will be done through slow motion cuts*, from character to another. Some of them will be looking at the camera, others will be doing what they normally do (snake charmers, herbs sellers, storytellers…) 

* This will be clearer as I am working on the animatic.

To start I will gather as much information as possible from family and from personal experience about the market (colour, senses, noises, feelings…) which I will respond to through drawing and painting.

As for the visual style, I am aiming for a painterly style, dynamic, exaggerated and expressionistic gestures which I believe will really emphasise the importance of each pose and action in the shots.

Below are some initial influence images to get me started:

Cubism

An early 20th Century movement that aims at analysing an object, fragmenting it and reassembling it in an abstract form. The object is depicted from multiple viewpoints, thus expanding the subject's context. Some of its characteristics:

- Simplification of objects into geometrical components

- Overlapping planes

- Distortion of the figures

Expressionism

A modernist movement which originated in Germany, 20th Century.

It was developed before WW1 and is sometimes suggestive of fear and anxiety.

Its characteristics include:

- Colour is used as an emotional device rather than a reflection

- Dynamic and distorted forms to evoke a sense of fluidity and movement

- Exaggerated face features

Fauvism

It began around 1900 and focused on the use of painterly, strong colours and wild brush work to evoke excitement. It is also considered as a form of Expressionism. Main characteristics:

- Simplified drawing with dark outline around some elements.

- Bold brushwork

- Use of bright and unnatural colours.


Traditional African masks

Through further research, I have found out that the traditional african masks played a huge role in influencing movements such as Cubism, Fauvism and Expressionism. It would be a great idea to incorporate that in the style, focusing on the exaggerated features and head shapes.

Adaptation Part B: Visual Influence and Style

These are my influences for now, showing some of Drobohych city pictures in which Bruno Schulz was born, as well as other images from Dr Caligari's that inspire in terms of their expressionism.

The second visual map will help me set the mood and colour palette, the use of light, reflection and colours I want to incorporate in my set.

Concerning the style of the set and its compositions, I have looked at Marcus Jansen, a former American combat soldier who became a leading contemporary painter known for his gritty urban landscape paintings since 1990s.
The abstract expressionist style really caught my eye. Besides the painterly and collage techniques he uses, the smart use of the space gives the viewer an overall mood of the composition but still "sweeps the eye" around the painting through the use of details and mark making.

Next step is doing some collages to apply these styles and work on the composition of the set.