The rivers dried up, the ground cracked. Here I am watching my friend dying, even the sun was hiding behind me in sadness, making everyone's mood gloomier, gloomier ..........

the wind blowed. I gathered all my strength and showered seeds of happinness hoping to save my dying friend

As time passes by slowly, new life sprouted

Experimenting , different options for the cloud

Progress

Narrative

By the small pond there was a tree with lush green leaves. Two leaves are chatting in a windy afternoon. 

One asked the other: "What will happen after we fell from the tree?" The other replies: "Well there has 

to be a place where all our fallen friends rejoice." 

"But how can you be sure?" says the other. "None of them ever come back to tell the tale."

"If there was no life after this, where were we before this present life? As we venture into the unknown, we need to keep our faith in the hope for a better life, as we live the fullest."

A gust swept past the garden and both the leaves fell down. As they were falling down, they remembered their earlier conversation and together they prayed and hoped for the best.

They felt a cooling sensation as they hear the chattering and laughters of their old friends getting louder and louder. Silently, they rested on the surface of the pond, with many other fellow leaves from the tree.

----------------------------------

Process

Sketch and Test Model

Material: Acetate, Coloured cards, Greyboard and Papers

4 subjects form the composition: the Tree, the Gust, the Pond and the Leaves.

The foreground are the greenery and the Tree, with soft and flowing motives representing the gust and the water movement in the pond.

The background would be the pond with leaves on the surface.
I am thinking of using cutouts from the photos (resembling leaves) and sandwich them with acetate.

The centre piece is nothing but the acetate and leaves to gives the weightlessness sensation of the leaves.

To do's:
- the Pond ( Leaves paper cutouts and acetate )
- more greenery (more layers) for the background

Close-up's

Progress

Lego Pivot 

Stuck to the back of the frame, connected to a gear system that allows the frame to be rotated and stay at the desired angle

Studies of Crows

 

 Paper Bird Trials

On the left a variety of origami nirds which give a good 3d effect, however are hard to do small

On the right, crows based on drawings with individual feathers of paper stuck on, gives nice effect but is very time consuming

Plan 

Narrative

Trapped. Enclosed. There must be more than just this cage.

But wait. There is something new. Something that has changed.

An exit. A way out. I am free. I can spread my wings. Soar. Feel freedom.

I can go down. I can go up. Or is that down? They are the same here.

I am filled with curiosity. I must learn. Discover.

But wait. What is that? A crack. A tear.

It beckons to me. I must see it.

There is something underneath. I must tear at it. Discover it. Fall through the window.

Working Progress

Scene composition tests:

                           
                 Scene 1                  Scene 2

                                                                                  Scene 3 - chosen scene 

Composition:

Layers: Foreground = Upturned lily pad

Layer 1 = Corner of sinking lily pad

Layer 3 = Central lily pad with fly catchers

Layer 4 = Trace with reflections

Background = Painted water

 

                                          Background             Layer 4

                                        Layer 3                  Layer 2

                   Foreground without trace  Foreground with trace


Material Testing:

Lily pad edge experiments with lace:

              

Creating the ribs :

Making the fly catchers:

Narrative:

In a world of their own, safe on the lily pad, the fly catchers had nothing to fear. Such beautiful, kind and unselfish plants; they fed only the weak and ill, never taking more than they needed.

The fly's looked onto the catchers as Gods and each fly craved to show their devotion. One by one the fly's dived willingly into the huge hungry mouths, determined to be the next sacrifice to their beloved heroes. 

On and on the fly catchers ate, gorging on the never ending supply of fly's; slowly growing cruel and selfish. The fly catchers demanded more and MORE! Their bellies grew huge and a putrid stink erupted from their mouths...the lily pads below started to slowly sink...

As the catchers screamed for more food, there were no fly's to be seen. The now obese and disgusting plants had eaten every last one. The lily pad islands began to sag lower into the water, rotting under the layers of filth and vomit produced by the ravenous catchers.

Slowly, one by one, the lily pads tilted into the water, wishing to be free of their vile parasites. With a final swish they flipped over, drowning each catcher in the polluted water. 

A calm fell over the water, as small friendly eyes emerged among the new lily pad world.

    

Progress.

Sequence of events. These sketches show the layers of my drawing and the story.

1. The background, the approach to the garden and some of the garden and fruit. This layer would be printed.

2. The child is consumed by the plant; the berries are thrown to indicate this. This layer would be printed but you would be able to see the context from the previous layer.

3. The child is trapped within the flower, this is a paper cut out of a section of a flower. 

4. Foreground- The child is saved by the bumble bee, this is a printed layer.

Model experiments, layers of paper.

 

These images show a selection of the prototype model I made with slots so each layer can be changed. I have been experimenting with paper cuts and different layering types as well as different arrangements and materials. I have decided I think to use trace to print onto as it still creates a question of what is beneath and how the scenario came to be without showing you explicitly. It is shown in the bottom of these photographs. I have also decided to do my paper cut as a more zoomed in section through the plant (as shown in the top sequence of photos) as I feel it is more successful that the cut shown in middle set of photos. 

Narrative:

She had eaten all of the berries for supper.

Her mother was despairing.

How did her daughter turn out to be so greedy? She would ask.

She was sent out the yard.

She was outraged with his mothers reaction, why should she share? The greedy girl snuck down the path away from the house and letting herself through a gate she found paradise. A garden like no other with wild berries and huge yellow flowers like ice pops. It was a haven. As she ate the berries, a luxurious swarm of juice took over her mouth. She ate more. And more. And more. She began to fill her baskets and her pockets for later. The yellow plants began to sway as she became delirious with excitement, they began to chant, ‘stop, stop’, beetles crawled out of their holes, swarming around her but she couldn’t stop the fruit was too tasty. She always wanted more. She didn’t share. Until the yellow flowers sways became more ferocious enclosing around her. She dropped her basket as the white petals enclosed around her and found herself being pulled into the flower.

Silence. She was trapped within the petals, there was no way out as she pulled at the petals and she was trapped for days, weeks maybe, she did not know. She could eat nothing but nectar. At first she refused to eat. Beetles came as she learnt they ruled this paradise they scared her and eventually then she learnt to enjoy what she had. The nectar began to taste better and the plant bloomed; the greedy girl was kind and giving again. The bumble bee came later that day to collect the nectar from the flower, and she was released with the nectar, to share her tale with others.

She was never greedy again.