Taylor's Proposal

Proposal:

I want to use these 10 pieces of artwork to tell a narrative that encompasses the intertwining of natural world with a technological, albeit antiquated, society. I developed the story for this concentration a few months ago, but I've been waiting to apply the idea up until now, and I believe this will be a fun opportunity. I have always been fascinated with the idea of living in a steampunk society, where steam is king and rust covers every antiquated surface, but at the same time I'm intrigued by the possibilities of the natural world, of the striking colors and organic, aesthetic beauty of flora and fauna. The characters of the story will illustrate the opposite sides of these two fascinations: Asher, a young city dweller meant to represent manmade society, and Rhea, a young forest spirit meant to represent the natural world. The story will be told through a series of sequential images (though I'm undecided if I want to make it in an actual comic format or not) that combine traditional and digital media, not unlike how the story intertwines the natural and the technological.

Narrative:

Asher, young factory worker living in the slums of a shabby, industrial city, one day travels to the forest for lumber, but after milling around looking for material, he happens upon a lone, young girl who calls herself Rhea. Asher accidentally mistakes for a lost child, so he subsequently brings her back "home" to city. Seeming eager and excited at the chance of this adventure, Rhea accompanies him back to his home. Unfortunately, Asher doesn't know that she is actually a fledgling forest spirit with a plethora of unconscious powers, which choose to unleash at the sight of the disgustingly unkempt, bustling city. Unable to adjust to this ugly, mechanical environment, Rhea's body attempts to unconsciously adjust by overrunning the city in a barrage of foliage and shrubbery, trying to recreate the forest it was born to inhabit! Suddenly there are plants grow out of every crevice, nook, and cranny in the city, turning it into an urban jungle. This is much to the malice of the citizens, who are outraged by this unanticipated and certainly unwelcome change in scenery. Unable to understand the innocence of the situation, they seek to remove whatever is trying to destroy their city, and upon the discovery of the little forest spirit amongst their ranks, thus prompts a man-hunt for Rhea and her keeper, Asher. After winding through the new forests of the city, and in the nick of time, the two escape, and Asher returns her to her rightful home.

Materials:

All of my pieces will be 2-dimensional drawings that start by traditional means and end up in digital means. I will start with traditional sketch/color study: pencil sketch, refine said pencil sketch (pen inking optional), then paint over it wish gouache, and establish basic colors, ground, and texture. Then, I will scan the sketch into computer, and repaint the pictures in Photoshop, polish, and recreate as needed until I get the intended result. All traditional starting points are going to be small, no bigger than a regulate piece of printer paper (8.5x11 inches), because I don't want to risk overworking a simple sketch. It's when I get into Photoshop that I will reformat the size on computer, and I will probably end up with a larger size, for the sake of printing a nice, clear copy of the image.

Page-by-page:

1. Shot of Asher leaving city, entering forest (panoramic?)

2. Asher sees Rhea alone on stump, offers hand to her so she can accompany him

3. Brings her into city

4. Show them walking around, admiring things, with little trails of plants in Rhea's 

forgotten footsteps

5. Back shot of Asher and Rhea, with bundles of foliage in their wake

6. Evening time, Asher and Rhea asleep in factory

7. Wake up to everything covered in plant life, storm of angry villagers at front of 

8. Asher and Rhea bolt, escape through the throngs of shrubbery

9. Escaping the city + villagers

10. Parting hug, Asher lets Rhea to return to her forest.