Ok, I’m eating a Pita Bread with mango chutney because it is literally the last carbohydrate in the flat: time to do some research.
I should probably start by specifying some themes I’m really interested in. Right now, it’s looking to be indulgent historical and fantasy fashion. My characters are always interacting, but I’m trying to think of a print for ornamental purposes.
The Abbe, Aubrey Beardsley, 1895.
This is great. I hadn’t put any search in at all, but clicked gender and sexuality because the thumbnail for that collection was an incredibly sexy woman in a suit. They know how to reel you in at the v&a museum, that’s for sure.
This piece interests me for a few reasons: it’s pen and ink wash, which I’ve been working in recently, but most importantly, I looked at their fluffy bow and ruffles and big ridiculous cloak and – out loud – went, oh, fuck yeah. This guy’s head is thoroughly getting lost underneath all this drip.
I say that, but it’s not getting lost, because the head and ruffles are the largest pure white space in the image, so the eye goes straight there. So: fashion inspiration, as well as inspiration for how to create tone and movement of fabric – note the lines following the curve of the fabric. I’ve been toying with the idea of using black lino lines over stencilled areas of pure, bright colour, like a two-colour woodblock. A la d-for-dandy, which I’ve not stopped thinking about since my last research post. I’ll throw the relevant image back in, because it costs me no memory to paw back through the wordpress media library.
Looking at T-For-Trumpeter, the front-on pose, self assured expression and gestures, cloak creating a large and imposing shape – and even staff-like-object coming up from the side all chime with the ink drawing I did of Mitzi two days ago .
Seeing them side by side, we even put the darkest tones in the same place – hair and under the arms. I always get quite emotional when I find my art chiming so closely with historical illustrators, because it feels like I made a friend.
Later edit: we needed to do a big Tesco shop, in part because of Pita Breadgate as mentioned above. We now have regular human food, like bread and cereal. I’m drinking a hot chocolate as a reward, and it’s time to do another bit of research.
Ok, I went to fashion, and found this:
France, 1700-1799. A man’s court coat, waistcoat and breeches; the coat of silk taffeta, narrowly striped in purple and white, with a 3-inch (7.5 cm) standing collar, 2-piece sleeves ending in cuffs, 4½ inches (11.4 cm) deep. The fronts curve sharply from neck to hem with pleats 1¾ inches (4.4 cm) deep, below the hip set beside the centre back. Each front has a pocket and shaped pocket flap; the centre-back seam is open below the hip. The coat, sleeves and pocket flaps are lined with white silk twill, the pockets with bleached linen. The coat is appliquéd with green silk and white net in a wave pattern and embroidered-to-shape with silk floss in shades of pink, green and white in a pattern of roses and pansies, on the collar, cuffs and pocket flaps, around the front neck and pockets, along the fronts and centre-back opening. There are 9 embroidered buttons along the right front, 3 on each cuff, 3 below each pocket, 1 at the top and hem of the pleats.
The waistcoat fronts are made of ivory taffeta with a 2¼ inch standing collar, curving fronts and skirts reaching to the top of the thigh. Each front has a pocket and shaped pocket flap. The back is made of fustian and the waistcoat lined with the same. The fronts are faced, front skirts and pocket flaps lined with white silk twill. The waistcoat is decorated in the same pattern, but different colours as the coat, appliquéd with green silk and white net in a wave pattern and embroidered-to-shape with silk floss in shades of pink, green, yellow, terracotta, blue, purple and white in a pattern of roses and pansies, on the front collars and pocket flaps, along the front edges and hems. The fronts are filled with repeating embroidered abstract floral sprigs and feathers.
The written description of this coat is like looking at sweets in jars at a sweet shop. “Silk taffeta”, “White silk twill”, “Fustian”, “silk floss in shades of pink, green, yellow, terracotta, blue, purple and white”, “Roses and pansies” – I really taste fancy chocolates when I read through these phrases.
I would love to stay and do more, but pottery calls. Stay tuned: now I have some ammunition, I want to make some drawings for idea development so I can get good boy points and a shiny degree.
SEASIDE ILLUSTRATION 