FROM HERE TO WEEK 5 I WAS OUT OF THE COUNTRY/SICK AS SOON AS I GOT HOME :o(
Upon returning from my trip, I reflected on what I had missed and started with week 3 just so I could work in chronological order. For week 3 and beyond, I was now part of Team 6 (Team Cess) whose theme was Zombie Cowboy Cyborgs which was a real change in pace compared to the animals and trees I was drawing before. However, if I’m being honest, the theme doesn’t really hit for me but, on the plus side, it allows me some more creative freedom when it comes to designing environments and characters. I got a small run-down of the narrative from my friend who, at the time, was in the group with me and although the story itself isn’t anything special (cowboys infected with zombie virus, limbs are amputated when bit to avoid spreading the infection etc), I find it fun, easy to grasp and a little more my artistic style as I tend to lean towards the mysterious and gothic in my own work. Finding some references on Pinterest, I started on the classwork I missed by drawing two weapons I think would’ve been used in this world; a colt revolver with bandages wrapped around it and a stick of dynamite held together by, you guessed it, the same bandages. For the first drawing, the gun was shaded using different tones of grey to direct light and when I finished with that, I decided to touch it up a tad by adding extra details like dried in blood around the barrel and the bandages on the handle. As for the dynamite, I had to use linework/hatching lines to show depth and form which I felt was a LOT easier than the colt revolver as the shading took a maximum of 5 minutes for the entire stick of dynamite. Granted there was less unique shapes to work with but still, I’ve always had a preference for hatching ever since I started heavily using it during my Art GCSE and A Levels.
With those drawings done, I then moved onto analysing 4 still shots from some of my favourite films that fit within the genre of the world Group 6 created, those being Django Unchained, The Last of Us Season 1, Buster Scruggs and Fallout. For all 4 shots, I broke the scene down into three colours: blue for silhouettes, green for perspective and red for the rule of thirds grid. I also had a white “light” symbol above all the stills to show where the main light in the scene was coming from. Starting with the Django shot, the silhouette of our two main characters take up the centre column of the rule of thirds grid and despite them being too far from the camera to make out details, they stick out atop the bright foreground. Given the themes of the film, the camera being positioned inside of a building may be intentional framing to make it seem like the two main characters in the shot are boxed in, like they’re oblivious to the trap surrounding them. They aren’t being ambushed or anything in this scene but given what happens later on, this shot might be foreshadowing that they’re unaware of the dangers that lay ahead. Alternatively, you can just view it as a good use of light/dark contrast as it makes the two main characters stand out even more. For perspective, like every other shot I analysed, it’s all one point. The still I took from The Last of Us is pretty similar to the still from Django Unchained although there isn’t as much contrast as the three characters are walking in an open, well lit area. Despite this, you can only make out a portion of the sky covered in clouds in the centre of the shot which is where the viewer’s eyes are being directed towards through the brightness of the sky contrasting with the darkness of the buildings looming on either side of the shot. The viewer’s eyes are also being drawn towards the middle third of the shot as the hall is where the characters are headed. The shot from Buster Scruggs is a little different but is still an open-wide shot, buildings on either side of the main character with some mountains seen in the background. Sunlight beams down from above and creates contrast through the shadow being cast by Buster’s hat which, despite his bright white suit, makes him contrast nicely with the similarly bright rocky/sandy background. Buster is also positioned in the centre of the shot which is where viewers will be looking automatically. Best for last, the Fallout shot is similar in ways to the Buster Scrugg’s still but maintains it’s own intimidating, less jovial atmosphere. The Ghoul can be seen sitting in a chair, positioned more towards the left side of the screen but still within the middle third of the grid. Sunlight is beaming down onto him and much like Buster, his hat is creating a heavy amount of contrast through the casting shadow. However, unlike Buster’s suit which is all white and needs some extra contrast to stand out on a bright background, the Ghoul’s attire is dark brown and thus stands out regardless, making his silhouette bold and evident. The shadows being so dark in this scene despite how bright it is perfectly encapsulate the character’s atmosphere; mysterious, reserved and dangerous.
Also, for the homework we had to sketch out 3 potential backgrounds based on our worlds, select the one we like the most and develop that into a full, larger tonal study. This in itself probably took me around 4-5 hours of back and forth and became extremely stressful after a while but, through some blood, sweat and tears, I was able to get through and create a study I was happy with. I feel it could use some more scenery surrounding it and if I were to redo it, I’d make the barn smaller and focus more on the surrounding area but for what it is , I think I’ve showcased the looming presence of a zombie cowboy cyborg hiding with an empty shed well enough.
