Chapter Opener Spread for Donkey Skin (Peau d'âne)
Student Project
The client is a publishing company. The aim of the brief was to produce 3 alternate full page colour illustrations for one of the chapters of a folklore book. A French folktale penned by Charles Perrault, called Peau d'âne (Donkey Skin), was chosen to illustrate a chapter I titled The Escape.
In a nutshell / Donkey Skin is the morality tale of a beautiful princess whose mother, on her death bed, made her father the King promise never to remarry unless it was to a woman who equalled her in beauty and spirit. None in his realm matched those attributes except for his daughter, whom he demanded to marry. Horrified, and after unsuccessful attempts to trick her father to abandon his questionable wish, the princess fled. She used a magical donkey's hide to hide her beauty.
The illustration captures Donkey Skin as she flees the castle, worried that she might be captured, and equally worried about a very uncertain future.
Alternate 1 (preferred outcome)
Development
Watercolours; a pack of home-grown garden leaves (used on the background and as a mark making stamp); bark nuggets used for the background; an oak tree from the neighbourhood; my puppy labrador (asleep): the princess' hide was recreated with his fur.
Alternate 2
Development
One of my initial digital sketches (iPad Pro); the mix-media initial drawing (gouache and charcoal); a pattern created for the tree bark and path.
Alternate 3
Development
Base drawing prior to vectorising; background made from gouache on paper let dry under a layer of clear film.
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