The Journey of Life

Look!!!

 

Just arrived this morning.

I'm really pleased with how it's turned out - particularly considering I photographed the pictures myself - I was a bit concerned how it would look in print.

Some random pages:

Not to say it's perfect. In fact, the whole project has been an example of how not to do it! But I've learned a lot, and I'm basically pleased with the result.

The layout was worked out by me, but the cover, all the fancy design and the typesetting was done by a designer called Paul Lewis. He's in America, and the author's in Malawi - what would we do without the internet!

Discussion questions at the back.

Not sure when it will be available yet (or price). Watch this space...

Painting

As I've now got the book layout more or less corrected (i.e. altering layouts so arms no longer cross the gutter - oops!), I can finally start properly with the painting. :-)

Stubborn and Changeable (aka Obstinate and Pliable in the original)

Different perspectives

Orcadian men working outdoors at this temperature [15°C] will strip off their shirts to keep cool, while Malawians might seek out a blanket to keep themselves warm.

From Ulendo, Air Malawi inflight magazine,

Illustrating for another culture

In Pilgrim's Progress there is a guy called Ignorance, who keeps going on about his good heart. So I drew a picture of a heart. You know, standard loveheart, universal symbol.

Only it turns out that 'doesn't fit for Africa'.

Maybe not so universal after all.

Evil spirits Malawian style

This is where I've got to so far. Elbows were hard to have going the 'opposite' way, as arm joints rotate. So I've just gone for weird angles.

Joints go the way they do for a reason.

Knees were easier. Walking figures is going to be quite a challenge though! Probably base it on an ostrich walking. Doesn't matter if it looks odd - it's meant to be unnatural.(I swapped the legs & bodies, which is why there are gaps in the middle)

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?