Proposal develop Postcard based on Water For Elephants

I am choosing to work with Sara Gruens contemporary novel Water for Elephants. The novel is a narrative story beginning with an old man (in his 90’s) who is in a nursing home, telling his story of working for the circus many years ago. The reader is then sent into a flashback of the young man, studying to be a veterinarian in the 1920s when his parents die and he is left with nothing. He runs away and jumps on a train, which happens to be a traveling circus. When the circus learns he has veterinary skills they hire him to work with the animals. The novel entails his memories, positive and negative, of his experiences.
What draws me to want to bring a visual aspect to this novel is that there are endless possibilities for art projects. The fantastical aspects of the story will lend it well to animated drawings, surrealism, or even abstract artwork. The circus too, filled with wild animals, freaks, glamour and scum wrapped in an aura of excitement is intriguing.
What I will be focusing on is the atmosphere and themes explored in the novel. I am going to mix the obvious idea of the circus with more subtle ideas from the text. For instance, there are many biblical references and parallels that are very interesting. The circus paralleling and juxtaposing religion is quite a huge idea that could work well. A majestic quality and the vivid colours are definitely going to be relevant. For my project I will be veering from a traditional illustration. I’d like to work with the colours, the animals, the circus atmosphere and aspects of the characters to create a set of postcards. I think this text could be translated to 3D and photographed very well as well aspects of collage and drawing. Doing a set of postcards would allow me to use various media and be quite experimental. The postcards could include text on the back as well to add another element. Each postcard will function on its own as an illustration however together they will form a narrative.

Book Cover Design for Illustrating Literature

An Imperial Message- Project A

While reading Franz Kafka’s The Imperial Message I was intrigued by the chaos and the idea of literal inability to communicate a message. Reading the story gave me a clear visual of a person trying to move through an impossible space. While this story, clearly about an emperor, kingdoms and class is one that can transcend time. At first, I imagined that this story takes place in contemporary times, but then also realized the essentials of the story (trying to connect with the public but not being able, moving through a space that seems impossible, trying to get through to people not of your “class”) are universal ideas that transcend time. So with my illustration I aimed to have an image that wouldn’t portray specific a time or place but portray the idea of the impossible space and the hopeless journey between the classes.