History

Project 1: The Gunpowder Plot (Book Illustration Path)

For this project, I have been given multiple choices of historical events to design and illustrate with a choice of four specific pathways. My historical event is the Gunpowder Plot and I decided to go down the book illustration pathway. I will research the event itself, who the main figures were and how I can create illustrations depicting the story of the Gunpowder Plot.

Plot:

The Gunpowder plot follows a group of Roman Catholics who plotted to blow up parliament and King James I. The main conspirators were Robert Catesby (leader of the group), Thomas Wintour, Thomas Percy, John Wright and Guy Fawkes. Guy Fawkes in particular was in charge of lighting the fuse for the gunpowder used to blow up parliament. However, their plot was foiled and the conspirators were either killed on sight or were tortured and sentenced to death.

Artist Research:

Edward Ardizzone:

Edward Ardizzone was a British painter, printmaker and war artist, and the author and illustrator of books, many of them for children. Some of his work consists of watercolour, pen and ink. Some even with just the latter on its own. His style is quite rough, not specifically trying to capture a lot of detail. The purpose of his ink work is to get a feel of the setting, whether its a light or dark setting. Edward’s style is more suited towards attracting a younger audience, which could give me an opportunity for an approach this project.

Drawing study:

Richey Beckett:

Richey Beckett is an illustrator who primarily uses traditional pen and ink in his work. Although his work is focused on a fantasy genre, what I like most about his work is his good use of contrast and his skills on stippling. Additionally some of his work that includes colour gives the impression of digital editing. Richey’s work seems to be targeted towards an older audience, which is a possible approach to take in this project.

Drawing study:

Virgil Finlay:

Virgil Finlay is an artists who specialises in pen and ink drawings, known for his science fiction and horror illustrations. What I like about his work is that the lighting in the piece conveys the atmosphere quite clearly. This is something I would like to learn and apply to my own drawings should I decide to for this project.

Drawing study: