Becky Ritchie Illustration

A blog of my work produced during several years of studying Art, Design and Photography. Also a place to share my research and university practice.

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The Anatomy of Cat

Anatomy of a Cat

[beckyritchie]

Carnival of Venice & Dia de la Independencia illustrations

26/2/2017

I created an illuatration for the Carnival of Venice and Dia de la Independencia but was not able to finalise them as I would have liked due to poor time management. One regret is the fact I only have partially done drawings for Up Helly Aa as I was aiming for 4 final illustrations but I struggled as I ran into many unexpected issued towards the deadline with software and space. 

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Carnival of Venice projection onto mask -GIF

23/2/2017

I took another approach towards the projections onto my mask that I was hoping I’d have time to apply to my ship. I inverted the mask of my mask on after effects so that as opposed to the video only projecting onto the structure, it would project onto the infinity curve behind it. I thought the results of this were interesting but I do prefer the original projection. I also tried projecting onto both the mask and backdrop but found that the mask was lost within the film. I created 2 gifs to conclude my outcome of these projections. I particularly liked the way that the movement in the video moved with the contours of the mask which you could really notice when filming from a side angle. As I had 3 times the footage for this shoot than my ship, I did not have time to edit a compilation for the mask projection.

I’d also like to point out the relevance of the fact I am indeed the author of the ship..

[beckyritchie]

Up Helly Aa projection onto Galley - GIF

20/2/2017

I did create a compilation video of the videos being projected onto the boat from different angles but also decided to create a gif. I felt that, like at the beginning of the  project I realised the looping of images I was granted in a gif would work much better to represent the festival and atmosphere than an image. I also consider the constant looping quality to be a subtle metaphor for the fact that the festival has been revitalised and is still being celebrated since its creation 100s of years ago.

I’d also like to point out the relevance of the fact I am indeed the author of the ship..

[beckyritchie]

Photographing dilemma

19/1/2017

While I took a selection of videos of the projections I also tried taking photos on my DSLR, however I encountered colour detection problems that the projector was causing, distoring and saturating the blank space on the backdrop. After trying various workarounds I decided that it would make more sense to take stills from the videos. Another dilemma I faced that i hadn’t considered was trying to re-align the projected image onto the boat. While the image fit perfectly on the boat when created and set up at home, I found after bringing the ship into the studio and setting it up again, it was impossible to achieve the same accuracy.

[beckyritchie]

Pattern overlays for video projections

19/1/2017

As I hadn’t experienced first-hand either of the festivals I was focusing on when projecting, I have no footage to project that is mine. To solve this and make the video into my own I intend to compile clips from different sources and overlay a series of moving patterns which I created. The patterns I made for both festivals are meant to represent the sound and music involved. I also tried to stick to similar colour schemes to the ones I used on the illustrations. 

[beckyritchie]

Projecting images onto the ship

19/1/2017

After trying to project onto the ship and the backdrop I found that the nature of the model meant the detail on the ship was getting lost so I tried to adjust the projection so that the image appeared only on the ship. To achieve this, I connected the projector to my laptop and opened Photoshop so the program was being projected onto the ship as I worked. I then used a brush tool while watching the model and essentially coloured it in. What I was left with was a solid colour mask creating an accurate silhouette of the ship. I inverted my drawing which left me with 2 masks; 1 allowing me to project onto the backdrop but not the ship and the other doing the opposite. I then imported the shapes onto After Effects and turned them into masks. From here I was able to drop videos and film behind the mask, ensuring it projects accurately onto the desired areas. I also played around with creating different masks for different areas of the boat by colouring each area in a different colour but this proved too time consuming and complicated so I dropped the idea.

[beckyritchie]

Galley model

11/1/2017

I decided that to make sure the festivals in my project linked to each other visually whilst embodying their own atmosphere I thought it would work to create another 3D object. I thought a fitting festival to do this for would be Up Helly Aa because the burning of the Galley is a significant part of the procession and it a symbol for the festival. I made a model of the type of traditional viking galley that the Scots would build before burning in the festival. Like the mask, I assembled the structure out of cardboard but instead used a glue gun to piece everything together as this structure is much more intricate than the mask. I cut out the “wooden planks” of the boat body itself and attached them on individually so I could achieve the right texture and detail. I then spray painted it and attached the string to the mast.

Update: Images in this post are added from the photo shoot I did before projecting onto the boat.

[beckyritchie]

Mask model

10/1/2017

I decided the best way to represent the Carnival of Venice was to create a mask, as it is a resonating symbol of the festival. I molded cardboard, paper and masking tape to create the basic structure before adding the detail with rope and covering it in several coats of spray paint. I kept the mask white as my tutor suggested the possibility of projecting onto it which would work much better if the object is a solid and light colour.

Update: The images uploaded were taken later when I projected onto the mask. Images added above are from the later shoot.

[beckyritchie]

Lyndon Hayes

7/1/2017

Incorporated innocent but often very real snapshots of his life in this work. He is influenced by artists such as Peter Blake, Euan Uglow, Ruskin Spear, Robert Rauschenberg and photographers such as Lee Friedlander. He also draws great inspiration from people and places which feature reliably in this works.

Lyndon’s style involves a mixture of techniques: the line work style which is drawn, scanned into Photoshop and worked on mostly through Illustrator and the painted imagery. Painting was Lyndon’s love and this has been picked up on over the years for various commissions including The Sunday Times magazine, Folio society and even an Olympic stamp design for The Royal Mail

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Dia De Los Muertos

4/1/2017

The Day of the Dead ritual dates back 3000 years to Aztech times. It was originally a celebration dedicated to the Aztech goddess Mictecacihuatl known as “Lady of the Dead”. The celebration originally started in August and lasted a whole month. The Spanish arrived in Mexico in the 16th century and cconsidered the ritual as sacrilegious but it could not be eliminated and the “Dia de los muertos” still survives. 

Over time the ritual has moved from Southern Mexico all the way up to the North. It has also moved to certain regions of America. One of which is Arizona which has more than a dozen events that mark the occasion to honour the dead. Although originally celebrated in the summer, the ritual has merged with Christianity and Catholicism and has now been moved to the winter to coincide with the celebrations held by these religions. 

The 3 day ritual starts on October 31st which is All Hallows eve. On that day the children make alters to invite the souls of dead children to come and pay a visit. On November the 1st it is All Saints Day. On this day the adult spirits are said to come and visit. November 2nd is All Souls Day. On this day the families go to the cemeteries to decorate the graves and the tombs of their relatives. These will be decorated as alters with the deceased’s favourite food, drink and memorabilia, such as photos of the deceased and personal trinkets.

Toys are brought for the deceased children as well as favourite sweets which are left at their graves. Sugar skulls are trinkets or candies often given as gifts to both the dead and living. They represent a departed soul and would have their name written on the forehead and was to honour the return of that spirit.

They would usually be bright and colourful and reflect the Mexican folk art. Flowers would also be left, the Mexican marigold (Taqetes erecta) being a favourite as these flowers are said to encourage the souls of the dead to visit.The souls are invited to visit to hear the prayers, thoughts and messages from the living. Sometimes funny stories and anecdotes are told of the dead which keeps the celebrations more light and humorous.

Blankets and pillowcases are sometimes also left so the souls can rest after their long journey. Alters are also built in peoples homes and as well as the normal decorations they will be lit candles and either a christian cross or a statue of the Virgin Mary.

In schools, alters are built but without any religious symbols and government offices will have at least 1 alter to signify the importance of this festival as part of the Mexican heritage. The Mexican government have made The Day of The Dead a public holiday and considers it to be a national tradition.

[beckyritchie]

Diwali final piece

21/12/2016

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Colour schemes

19/12/2016

I decided that in order to get a colour scheme as true to the festivals as I can I would pick colours from actual images of the festival. I did this with the eyedropper tool on Photoshop then found matching coloured card. I then scanned these in to edit into my pieces. I chose to use the card rather than a block of colour made digitally as there was a slight texture in the card that I couldnt achieve with a solid block of colour.

[beckyritchie]

Shonagh Rae

18/12/2016

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Obon festival

17/12/2016

Obon is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honour the spirits of peoples ancestors. The custom has evolved over the years into a family reunion holiday during which people return to the places of their ancestral families and visit and clean their ancestors graves. The custom has existed in Japan for over 500 years and also traditionally includes a dance known as Bon-Odori.

The Obon festival extends over 3 days but its starting date is dependant on the region of Japan. These days aren’t listed as public holidays, but it is customary for employees to be given leave.

The Bon-Odori dance originated from a Nenbutsu folk dance intended to welcome the spirits of the dead. The dance itself varies however, along with the songs and music from region to region and is specific to each place.

The Obon festival is also known as The Festival of Souls. It is believed that the souls of the deceased relatives will return to spend time and share food with family and friends during Obon. As a result, families gather together for a holiday and family members will return to their hometowns. Although it is not a national holiday it has been celebrated for over 500 years and is considered a very important time.

Obon originates from an ancient tale of a monk called Mokuren. After his mother had passed he had a vision that his mothers soul was nor at peace as  she had falllen under the regime of the Hungary ghosts. This was due to bad things she had done whilst on earth. Mokuren asked his Guru how he could help his mother. His guru advised him to go out and do good deeds in the community to cancel out his mothers doings, then she could rest in peace. Mokuren did this and also saw that his mother had indeed been selfless and  made many sacrifices in her lifetime. He was so happy and relieved to realise this and to help his mother that he danced in joy. This dance is the dance now known as Bon-Odori.

Obon starts around August 12th. Families will clean their homes and leave food not only around the house but at alters and temples. These food include things such as rice, fruit and home-made sweets and drinks like green tea and sake. Lanterns are hung on the front of the houses to guide the spirits home. As the festival is celebrated in the heat of the summer, light clothing called Yukata or light cotton kimonos are worn. There is a huge carnival with many rides and games and plenty of summer food eaten such as watermelon.

The Bon-Odori is now a traditional dance performed throughout the festival. The dancers start in the evening and dance into the early morning hours.The style can vary from region to region, some will dance with fans, some with clackers so the souls can hear them. The dance signifies the summer and welcomes the spirits of the dead. On the last day of Obon fired are lit on mountain tops and lanterns are made of paper with a single candle placed to represent a soul. The lanterns are set off to float on lakes, rivers and seas. The fires and lanterns are to guide the souls back to their world.

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Holi One poster design

13/12/2016

I created an illustration for the Holi One celebration and decided to add text in the bottom corner where there seemed like a lot of space to see how I could make the iage work in a poster-type context. Through illustrating a modern scene from the festival taken away from the origin I was trying to convey the way in which the festivals morals are ones that can be adopted by many people and how the festival has spread into a worldwide occurence. I also chose this image to work from as I loved the explosion of colour I was able to incorporate. However after discussion with my tutor I decided that the image might not be a true enough representation of the festival. I may try and alter the image by taking the skateboard out.

[beckyritchie]

Carnival of Venice

6/12/2016

The Carnival of Venice is an annual occurrence and ends with the Christian celebration of Lent. The festival is famous for the participants elaborate masks. The first festival was held in Venice in the 11th century and it consisted of 2 months of revelry. It fell into decline in the 18th century but was revived in 1979 with great success. The carnival holds it’s significance in the modern day through uniting people of all races and classes through the medium of dress. The masks hide indifference's and allow the community to interact with people with no judgement.

Carivals in the 18th century began with a series of balls in St Marks Square. Fortunes were squandered every night of the carnival in the Ridotto Gambling casino, regardless of  social status. All of the attendees wore masks and costumes, many connected to the Commedie del’Arte, Harlequin, Columbine, the Plague Doctor and of course the courtesans.

The carnival is considered such an important symbol of Venetian culture that mask shops in the city out-number butchers and green-grocers.

At one time there was great desire for Venetians to wear masks to achieve anonymity in a very overcrowded city where detection was most always unavoidable. In the 13th century a law was passed banning the wearing of masks while gambling. Eventually it became illegal to be masked at convents or during religious festivals. It became easier to stipulate when masks could be worn; most importantly from Boxing Day to Shrove Tuesday- the period known as Carnevale (from Carnem and vale, Latin for “meat” and “farewell”: are reference to the ban by the churches on eating meat during Lent, with the French taking command over the city in 1797, the festivities were removed but were later revived in 1979 when it was realised that the carnival posed as a huge tourist attraction, bringing more visitors to the city during an otherwise, quiet, cold and damp time of year.

One of the most important events of the carnival is the contest for la muschera piu bella (the most beautiful mask) which is judged by a panel of international costume and fashion designers. Venetian masks can be made of leather, porcelain or using the original glass technique. Originally the masks were quite simple in design and decoration and often they had symbolic and practical function. In modern society however, most Italian masks are much more intricate: made with the application of gesso and gold leaf and are hand-painted with an addition of natural feathers and gems for decoration. This production, being much more arduous than the production of mass-produced masks meant they are much more expensive.