[I originally posted this entry as early access for my Patreon patrons on 11 April 2022].
068 crocus
Day sixty-eight of The 100 Day Project for 2021.
Yesterday, in the final quarter-hour of the day, I snuck in a more simplified sketch of an illustration I'd saved as a potential element of a collage for last year's project.
I'm still undecided on whether it's easier to draw from someone else's illustration than to draw from my own photographs.
This year, after all the work we did in the front garden last summer (not at all coincidentally), just after a snowfall, we had our first orange snow crocus bloom. It was the first time I'd seen one in the almost five years I've lived here.
It was lovely, but it did fade very quickly. I captured an, unfortunately, out of focus photo of it one afternoon. But by the time I had another chance, it was withered and sad, like a deflated balloon nestled on the bark.
Instead of drawing that (though I may sketch it another day), I present to you a more positive, blooming crocus.
Original outline drawn with a 4H pencil, then drawn over with an HB pencil. Keeping it simple.
i'll tumble 4 ya
Day fifteen of The 100 Day Project.
This guy caught my eye on the Old Book Illustrations website pretty early on in the project.
I wasn’t sure at that point what part he would play, but I knew he would appear in my 100 Day Project.
This morning I thought of a perfect setting for him (and his mates) and went about creating this image this afternoon.
It wasn’t until I’d finalised the image that I read the description of Buer:
‘Depiction of Buer, described as a second-class demon and president of hell. He teaches philosophy, logic and the properties of medicinal plants. He claims to provide good servants and cure the sick. He has fifty legions under his command.’
I LOL’ed at the description when I read it. Because yesterday I became caught up in trying to discourage friends on social media from sharing conspiracy theories and misinformation about the Covid-19 pandemic, and to instead take a course in critical thinking.
I feel like Buer would have been a handy friend to have around yesterday.
He’s depicted in the Dictionaire Infernal, a wood engraving by Louis Le Breton.
The landscape I’ve set him against was taken by me in Oxford just over four years ago and now seems even more appropriate for such a learned fellow.
I’m kind of confused about why he was deemed a demon, but my atheist self has some ideas...
Illustrations:
Buer by Louis Le Breton from Dictionnaire Infernal
head first
Day five of The 100 Day Project.
Illustrations:
Diving head first by an unknown artist from Nouveau dictionnaire encyclopédique universel illustré
The fairies flew away by Charles Henry Bennett from The chicken market and other fairy tales
up, up and away
Day four of The 100 Day Project.
Illustrations:
Seizing our captain by Gustave Doré from Wunderbare Reisen zu Wasser und Lande, feldzüge und lustige Abentheuer des Freyherrn von Münchhausen wie er dieselben bey der Flasche im Zirkel seiner Freunde zu Erzählen pflegt. Aus dem Englischen nach der neuesten Ausgabe übersetzt, hier und da erweitert und mit noch mehr Küpfern gezieret
Aerostat ‘Le Comte d’Artois’ by an unknown artist from Les aérostats
a knight at the opera
Day three of The 100 Day Project.
Did I mention I like puns...?
Not my best Photoshop work but today was busier than I expected. I hope you can forgive the poor execution as a trade-off for the (at least vaguely amusing) concept.
I like to think the knight is mincing for a bit of attention, but getting none. Maybe this is moments before a bloodbath brought on by the lack of attention?
Or maybe the thought of an ensuing bloodbath is just me projecting because loud music and bad singing are coming from my neighbour's backyard for the second time within a month.
Illustrations:
Soldier with shield and sword by Eugène Emmanuel Viollet-le-Duc from Dictionnaire raisonné du mobilier français de l'époque carlovingienne à la Renaissance vol. 5
The opera by J. Godwin from The poets of the nineteenth century
a plague o' both your houses
Day two of The 100 Day Project.
Obviously inspired by the current situation but using a remix of plagues from past and present that are not directly related to the current situation.
Illustrations:
A physician wearing a seventeenth-century plague preventive costume
Château de Mehun-sur-Yèvre and Château de Chaumont by Albert Robida from La vieille France: la Touraine
something fishy this way comes
So, I'm having another stab at The 100 Day Project this year since I have more time on my hands than usual now.
My 'postcards from another's life' series will continue as and when I'm inspired, but this year's project is to create a digital collage each day, using a mixture of my own images and public domain illustrations or artwork, inspired by current events, personal feelings, film/literature/famous quotes/other popular culture, etc. Whatever inspires me on that day.
I started off with a specific quote in my head today, but couldn't find a public domain illustration to build the image around, so looked to my own collection of photographs to build upon instead which took me off in this direction.
It took me longer to get to the concept than to create the actual collage.
Not the worst result for my first attempt at this, but hopefully the results improve over time.
Illustrations:
All illustrations taken from Le règne animal distribué d'après son organisation, vol. 4 (atlas), 1836-1849
Orbicular batfish, rocksucker and scaly dragonfish by Jacques Reyne Isidore Acarie-Baron