These are thumbnails for the Illustration Master Class project. I've chosen the Lady of the Lake assignment (I'm also working on the children's book option...perhaps more on that later). The challenge with this assignment is that there are many different stories and depictions of the Lady of the Lake. I have chosen to go with an older, slightly less romanticized version. Rather than the oft-seen arm rising out of the lake to give Excalibur (the sword) to Arthur, this version depicts the Lady (who also goes by Viviane, Nimue, etc) as a priestess of the island of Avalon, a place somewhere between the world of Man and that of Faerie, where Excalibur is forged. Merlin (a magician and bard) is in love with her, and teaches her all of his magic. So, the Lady, Merlin, and Excalibur, are inextricably linked. My idea is to have the Lady standing in the lake (she doesn't live underwater), holding Excalibur in its sheath, with Merlin watching from the banks of Avalon, somewhat hidden in the trees and melting into the background. I think #5 is my favorite in terms of the Lady's pose - I like the idea of seeing her legs underwater, with fish swimming around, but I'm having trouble with where Merlin would fit into that composition. Ideas??
Yeah 5 is the best composition. I'm picturing a very Waterhouse painting right now. Can't wait for this class.
ReplyDeleteYeah I agree that 5 is working best. I like the water idea! but I feel like there needs to be a better reason for it. Like maybe the sword is still under the water or something. Or maybe you show more of it. Or! you make the dividing line of the water more diagonal rather than just a straight line across the bottom...I guess I just feel like it will divide your image a bit if there isn't something special or compositionally supporting about it. I really like her pose and the viewpoint. As far as Merlin goes...i'm not entirely sure. There is a portion of the legend that tells of the Lady entrapping Merlin within a cave, stone, or tree (depending on the author) after he teaches her all of his magic. This might be an interesting aspect to think about also. Or maybe if you moved her a little to the left and put him in on the right as if she is looking away from him, since she refuses to love him back. That's all I got for now. It'll be a good one though! Hope this helps!
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