Iron Fine Arts and Art Installation Design · 2020
Prince John Book Illustration
- A' Design Award 2020 Iron Winner in Fine Arts and Art Installation Design
- Awarded April 15, 2020
- CLIENT: Mykola Lomakin
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 17,132
- Verification code 297DBDCDA1 · Verify this award
About Prince John Book Illustration
It is made with paints on the toned paper, the final touch – on the graphic tablet. The designer combined figural imagery which illustrates the part of the text with frise compositions on the top and at the bottom, which details are psychologically connected with a figural image and make the illustration more expressive. Ornaments accentuate the horizontal rhythm of the illustration and bring to life the medieval atmosphere. The original text and fragments of other illustrations are below.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- The designer made an illustration so that it looks as if from an old book. Searching for a composition he came to the decision to divide the image into three parts. The central part unfolds the plot. The top and bottom parts are filled with the details that are connected with the central part narratively and psychologically. They complete and make the composition more expressive. The illustration is made with paints on a paper with the final touch on the graphic tablet.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Paper, acryl, watercolors, oil paints 225x330 mm, graphic tablet.
- Tags
- Ivanhoe, Walter Scott, illustration, characters, Middle Ages, Renaissance painting, historical
- Production Technology
- Before drawing, Mykola toned the paper with strong tea. This process took place in such a way that an uneven coating resembling a marble texture turned out. In the finished work, this is almost imperceptible, but this method of tinting helped the designer to form some areas of the image and to imitate the chipped paint. The designer applied color in some areas with watercolors, and in some areas with oil using a glaze metad. The texture of the stone is made with acrylic applied to limited areas of the image with a paralon roller. On this texture, the details of the stone blocks were also made in the glazing technique.
- Design Challenge
- The work objective is to convey the atmosphere of the book full of dramatic events: love and hatred, friendship and hostility, dignity and dishonor. The secondary task is to achieve the historical accuracy of the characters and items portrayed. When working on the project, the main difficulties lay in the collection of the historical material and search for the personalities of the novel characters.
- Project Duration
- This illustration is a part of the art project and was completed in 6 weeks between April and June 2018. According to the author plan, the project consists of 21 illustrations on the full page, including 3 double page spreads. In addition to the illustrations, the text of the book is going to be complemented with initials and small decorative elements in the same style as the illustrations. The project is a personal initiative of the designer. Mykola works on the project in Kharkiv, Ukraine.
- Operation Flow
- A detailed draughtsmanship should intensify visual expressiveness and attract a wide array of readers of the future book. People would like to see a beautiful, high quality book on their bookshelves. It is a delight to take such a book, thumb it and have a look at the illustrations, read. Such warmth and closeness to the writer and illustrator cannot be conveyed by an electronic book. As well as movies and television had not displaced theatre, electronic books did not displace printed books.
- Research
- Prince John stands against the wall where the flag of his royal house of the Plantagenets hangs. The wall has two exits. This detail hints the viewer that when people run out of patience and rebel, Prince John and his followers will escape through them. There are soldiers in the foreground, who keep a close eye on a viewer. Coin purses are depicted on the top of the illustration, these are for rich. Kitchen slops are depicted at the bottom of the illustration, these are for poor.
- Inspiration
- The Scottish writer Sir Walter Scott, who is the founder of the historical novel genre, wrote the novel Ivanhoe in 1819. The main essence of this novel is to live by the laws of honor, fidelity, justice and love. The relevance of these eternal human principles inspired the designer to begin work on the project. While working on the illustration, the sources of inspiration are Bayeux Tapestry, miniatures of medieval manuscripts, paintings of Hans Holbein, Albrecht Durer, Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn.
Colors of Prince John Book Illustration
Design Interview about Prince John Book Illustration
The Book Illustration Prince John is part of a large project. The project objective is to convey the atmosphere of the book full of dramatic events: love and hatred, friendship and hostility, dignity and dishonor. According to my plan, the project should consist of 21 illustrations on a full page, including 3 double page spreads. In addition to the illustrations, the text of the book is going to be complemented with initials and small decorative elements in the same style as the illustrations. At the moment, I have done about 20% of the total project volume. There is still a lot of work ahead! I try to follow the classic examples of Hans Holbein, Albrecht Dürer, Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt Harmenszoon Van Rijn, whose artistic value is considered absolute. Work on the current project made me study more deeply the work of these great masters. And I will continue to get acquainted with their pictorial manner. The source of inspiration among modern artists is works of Ukrainian illustrator Vladislav Yerko.
I focused on revealing the image of Prince John and on implementation historical authenticity in details. This illustration belongs to this lines of chapter 7: "The condition of the English nation was at this time sufficiently miserable. King Richard was absent a prisoner, and in the power of the perfidious and cruel Duke of Austria. (...) Prince John, in league with Philip of France, Coeur-de-Lion's mortal enemy, was using every species of influence with the Duke of Austria, to prolong the captivity of his brother Richard. (...) In the meantime, he was strengthening his own faction in the kingdom (...) he proposed to dispute the succession, in case of the King's death, with the legitimate heir, Arthur Duke of Brittany, son of Geoffrey Plantagenet, the elder brother of John.This usurpation, it is well known, he afterwards effected." With reference to the historical sources, the events described in the novel date back to 1194. At that time, Prince John was 27 years old. Later he became John, king of England. His nickname was Lackland. During his reign, the reputation of John Lackland was so bad that since then no one English monarch has ever named his successors with this name. In 1215 rebels made him sign Magna Charta Libertatum. As a hint to this historical document, Prince John holds the parchment in his hand in the illustration. He stands with the haughty face against the wall where the flag of his royal house of the Plantagenets hangs. The wall has two exits. This detail hints the viewer that when people run out of patience and rebel, Prince John and his followers will escape through them. There are soldiers in the foreground, who keep a close eye on a viewer. This psychological accent made the viewer involved in the events. Coin purses are depicted on the top of the illustration, these are for rich. Food wastes are depicted at the bottom of the illustration, these are for poor.
The most important thing for me is to continue and finish the project.
This illustration was completed in 6 weeks between April and June 2018. She is one of two completed illustrations of the project at the moment. I also have 4 illustrations in the process and at the stage of completion. I would like to recall the first steps of working on a project. the search process took quite a while, during which I quietly raised the bar of responsibility and quality of future illustrations. And when I finally got a satisfactory sketch, I decided to show it to my friend. He looked carefully and said: “Walter Scott wrote best chivalrous novel Ivanhoe. Maybe you will try to draw the best illustrations for this novel?" His words were totally unexpected for me. It was a challenge to a duel with yourself! Will I be able to do that? Do I have the strength to take such a height? And I decided to try. But it’s not up to me to judge how good are my illustrations.
The readers from 12 years and older. Fans of the historical genre in literature and highly detailed illustrations.
Grand Interview about Prince John Book Illustration
The use of traditional artistic techniques gives the images a sense of material authenticity and a diverse,rich texture that is very difficult to achieve with digital methods. However, at a certain point, this method reaches its limit in terms of further enhancing the image. This is when digital painting becomes essential. It allows for fine-tuning the image and refining small details. Since the illustrations are meant to be part of a printed book, the final digital processing enables them to be as close as possible to the author’s original vision.
The principle of dividing the image into three conceptual spaces with a central narrative in the middle wasborrowed from the Bayeux Tapestry. This work of art is a historical monument that demonstrates the use of multi-layered imagery as a means of multi-story narration. This approach is characteristic of the perioddescribed in the novel Ivanhoe. The illustrations subtly reference the original source of this techniquethrough decorative, intertwined animal figures.
Painting the paper surface with strong black tea creates a convincing effect of time’s influence on thematerial, while not damaging its structure. The color turns out very natural. Achieving the same effectwith regular paint is quite difficult. To obtain the natural texture, I used a special technique. A piece of crumpled fabric, soaked in tea, was forcefully thrown onto the stretched paper surface until randomimprints formed the textured surface of the desired tone. The sense of an antique image isenhanced by intentionally made scratches and partially worn gilding.
The composition of this illustration is meant to reflect the social relationships in medieval England. Money pouches are raised upward, ending up behind Prince John’s back. On the lower level,symbolizing the common people, only scraps remain. Guards with spears form a tight barrier, separatingPrince John’s figure from the lower level.
Works of art from the past served as aesthetic references and a source of interesting and almost forgotten artistic techniques. Studying them influenced the style of the images, which aims to helpthe viewer immerse themselves in a different era. To this historical foundation, elements of contemporary art were added, such as the emphasized individuality of the characters and their emotions, as well as acinematic approach to the composition of the images. It was important to maintain a balance between thesense of historical authenticity and modern expressiveness.
Starting the work on paper gives a awareness of the illustration as a real object, providing an understanding of the scale of the image’s elements. Traditional techniques allow for the use of the unique qualities of real materials. However, at a certain stage, the work can only continue digitally. When transferring the image to a digital form, it was important to preserve the characteristics of the varied textures and the correct color balance. Some of them, after digitization, appeared differently, so the image had to be adjusted further. In the subsequent work, it was crucial not to lose the feeling of a true painted surface. I also had to refer back to the drawing on paper to avoid overly fine details.
Work on each illustration begins with studying facts, literary sources, and museum exhibits. In addition to historical accuracy, these materials help shape the character’s image and provide ideas for additional visual elements. Thanks to this approach, the illustration offers the viewer a kind of game in searching for and reading symbols and references to historical facts. Examining the vibrant and detailed image becomes a process of exploring a historical reality that extends beyond the novel’s plot.
The character of Prince John can be read from the expression on his face. It’s full of contempt and distrust. Beneath the bright clothing adorned with gold and jewels lies a weak and feeble figure. The scroll that the prince holds in his hand hints at the Magna Carta, which he will be forced to sign in the future.
In Walter Scott’s novel, Prince John is a secondary antagonist. The author’s focus is not centered onhim, but he shapes the circumstances in which the plot unfolds. The prince’s personal flaws influence thestate of affairs in the kingdom. His opposite is the idealized figure of King Richard, who will appear later.
Combining several painting materials allows each one’s unique qualities to be utilized. Transparentwatercolor provides soft tonal and color gradients while preserving the texture of the paper, creating aneffect of soft lighting and a sense of air. A textured primer was used for the stone arch, with paint applied over it to naturally convey a rough stone feel. Thick or vibrant silhouettes are filled in with acrylic paint. This base makes it convenient to add soft mid-tones with translucent layers of oil paint. Acrylic is used for the finest details, with metallic paints applied in some areas. Thanks to this combination of materials, the original artwork features a rich variety of textures, a sense of transparency and lightness, along with deep, vibrant tones and numerous small, intriguing details.