Thinking

During my book illustration class I was given a list of random, unrelated words from this I was asked to merge drawn or found images to a corresponding word, in an attempt to capture the 'spirit' of the concept. This was a fun and testing exercise and is at the heart of what illustration is about. Here I've included couple that I prepared for yesterday's class. I am still working away on a few more for next week's class. Doing this exercise made me really appreciate the ability of words to capture numerous meanings at the same time, which can transform according to context and experiences of the reader.

My intrigue with metamorphoses, inspired by Kafka's short story, has also undergone its own fervent transformation. The next project on the list will be to create a series of drawings in response to his story. However, before starting I have been doing some research into the man himself, Ovid's Metamorphoses that inspired him, and the process found in its many natural forms.

Kafka's story is mostly about the transformation of the unconscious, but I view this also as a type of natural progression and by immersing myself in these processes, perhaps I can later unconsciously express my own learnings in these drawings.

Pictured below is a study of a tadpole, changing into a frog (from the Grant Museum of Zoology) and a regional metamorphism actinolite schist - actinolite limestone from Korea (from the UCL Geology Collection). Both demonstrate extreme and relatively 'violent' processes, and are good examples of how a similar process can be applied in both an inanimate object and living animal.