Following on from my initial experiments I took influence from Michal Mozolewski. I wanted to create some slightly darker illustrations using touches of colour to make them stand out a bit more. I tried to paint realistic and accurate paintings whilst also using thick brush strokes throughout both illustrations to keep the slightly messy effect and give the sense of a ‘storm’. I then used a thin white pen to draw over them, using a very messy and scribbly style to add more features to both of them, and also to reiterate the idea of the confusing, storm going on inside their heads, or the head of someone with a mental health illness. Both illustrations are more subtle versions of a ‘Quiet Storm’ than some of my other work, however I think aspects of them make them work more effectively. For example, as I said the thick brush strokes add features to the faces, but still keep the work from looking perfect and clean, it keeps it slightly messy which fits in with our idea for all of our group illustrations. I also wanted the face to appear to be emerging out of the darkness as if they are moving towards the light as I thought this would be a moving message for someone suffering from mental health illnesses. I also wanted to add touches of colour to both, I think it makes both pieces stand out much more and almost add feelings the each of them, for example the blue could make you think of sadness, or even calmness, both of which have connotations with mental health.
Following on from a discussion within my group, the idea of covering the mouths of each illustration with something came up. This was partly to do with the ‘quiet’ part of our oxymoron, but we also thought this could be to give the idea that someone with a mental health illness is almost being stopped or held back from speaking up about it because of a variety of different reasons. I think it works very well within the piece and makes it much more moving. The idea of our initial manifesto was to show people how destructive and horrible mental health illnesses can be and I think covering the mouth in the illustration is a way of making the viewer think why do people with mental health illnesses feel like they can’t talk out about their issues and how to go about changing it.
Overall I think the illustration works well and is a moving image to look at. I used the covering of the mouth and closed eyes (in the first example) to give the idea of silence of ‘Quiet’, as well as using a rough and messy way of painting and drawing to create a sense of a ‘Storm’ to fit with our oxymoron of a ‘Quiet Storm’. It also fits in with our theme of mental health through the colours used and our interpretation of a quite storm being all about the confusing and scary thoughts going on inside the head of someone with mental health, as well as the idea of them being in darkness.
Ben Jackson 