Fan Art

So as to better grasp the use of depth within our compositions we were tasked with creating a screen printed fan art poster of any theme/subject we liked. On the technical sight of things it was important that we consider frame, depth , viewpoint and line of sight so as to better achieve a sense of depth. However aesthetically we were free to do what we wanted, however it was important we create our own interpretations of our chosen subject matter that should result in images that have been filtered through our own personal visual language rather than simple facsimiles of reference material.

A good example of this would be Jon Boam's work which often, as is the case in the above image, features characters and motifs from science fiction. These are created in his usual clunky, playful and jovial style which makes them instantly recognisable as his own work yet he also retains/includes certain details or motifs of the given characters so that it is still immediately obvious who they are.


Jon Boam

After a long think i decided to create my fan poster based on Frank Herbert's series of books known as the Dune Saga( NOT the film of which I've only scene, and not enjoyed, segments of ). Although it gave me a certain sense of freedom, I also set myself quite a hard task by choosing I subject that involved visually interpreting my own minds interpretation of a story rather than simply imagery that already exists. I think this resulted in imagery that wasn't as immediately recognisable and effective as the work of other's within the group.

Given the purpose of the task was to tackle depth I decided to create a since depicting Paul Attreides sat within a royal throne room surrounded by clerics. This was because I felt it was much more dramatic visually than the roughs depicting desert scenes. Furthermore I thought conceptually it was a bit more subtle in that it draws focus to the keys themes of religion and power rather than simply the obvious visual theme of sand dunes (although maybe, in terms of making it recognisable I shouldn't have underestimated the power of the obvious).

Compositionally I wanted to create something symmetrical, shape heavy with minimal use of 'traditional' line drawing', which followed a set of clear rules so as to mirror the formality of the depicted scene. I then used overlapping and varying in size of the clerics at the side of the image as well as clearly pushing Paul to the back of the image so as to create a sense of depth within the image. I could perhaps have chosen a more interesting view point rather than simply front on. However I think the symmetry present within the image creates enough interest and tension.

So as to make it ready for screen print I then split it into two individual negatives. One for the darker elements of the image that I wanted to make the centre of interest such as the clerics and Paul and then one for the lighter elements that I wanted to push into the background such as the pillars, stairs and throne.

I was relatively divided on the outcome of my final image. I really like the process of screen printing particularly due to the accidental textures that are often left by mistake within the images which add a real visceral quality to them. Furthermore I do like the dramatic use of symmetry and shape to create a sense of depth. However I think a clearer sense of mid and back ground as well as perhaps I more interesting could have been used to further this. Finally I don't particularly like how the colours have interacted. I tried staying safe by not including an overlap but still I don't think the colours have quite worked. Although the dark maroon acts really well the shapes left in the negative white space I thing the mid, lilac like colour is perhaps too luminous causing I unwanted tension between the elements comprised of it and the rest of the image.