Friday 19 February 2010

Illustrating for another culture is so difficult!
I'm working on the Malawian Pilgrim's Progress, and I have to draw evil spirits in the valley of the shadow of death.

I could draw evil spirits for here - I know what looks spooky or macabre or evil to us. But all I have is a brief description of witches in a book, and a few photos of masks. I'm reluctant to use the masks, as I don't know what they represent (they said they were evil spirits, but you never quite know if they're just saying what you want to hear). I think silhouettes is probably the way to go.

The book description is helpful: protruding teeth, red eyes, discoloured skin, ugly & distorted features, long snouts to eat corpses. But the coolest thing is - arm and knee joints that bend the wrong way. That would make them look really wierd.

But how on earth do I draw it?

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