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Them Lions Be Comin'
May. 14th, 2009 07:09 pmOkay, so.
The reason I haven't been updating as much as I'd like to is because of English and this huge-ass research project we had to do. First came the huge essay, and then came the "creative element" and the short biographical essay. At least I got to draw something for the biographical part, ahaa.
I spent roughly six straight hours on this, from start to finish. Done in Photoshop 7 on... I don't even remember how many layers. It was over 30.
Yeah, I know the foot is backwards, and the anatomy is off, but I was pressed for time. xD;;
Copy and pasted from my paper.
"Ray Bradbury has a very peculiar story about how he was inspired to begin writing. At the age of 12, he saw the performer Mr. Electrico at a carnival in his hometown of Waukegan, Illinois. During a performance, Mr. Electrico shocked Bradbury and shouted, “Live forever!” Wanting to know the secret of immortality, Bradbury returned the next day, only to discover that Mr. Electrico believed him to be the reincarnation of a friend who died in his arms in World War I. The entire experience inspired Bradbury to write each and every day since then. This is why, in my creative element, I chose to have ‘young’ Bradbury balanced atop a carnival tent: to show where his foundation for writing was established. In this particular picture I decided to depict him as his 12-year-old self, not only because, again, he got his start in writing at twelve, but also because, in several interviews, Bradbury has stated that he still feels as if he is only 12-years-old, and considers himself to be that young. However, I opted to color his hair grey as a soft reminder of just how long Bradbury has been writing for. Hanging from his left foot is a bag full of newspapers, a bit higher than the tent, to represent the next step in Bradbury’s journey towards writing – the accumulation of funds to enable him to devote all of his time to his one true passion.
Clutched in Bradbury’s hand is a book, his eyes focused on the text and green sprouting from the pages. Bradbury read often as a child, influenced by the writing of the authors whose works he read, especially Edgar Rice Burroughs. The sprouts of green symbolize the metaphorical sprouts planted and nurtured in Bradbury’s mind with every book he read as a child, transforming him into the writer who he is today. His eyes diverted to the book, his mind shaped and formed by the text, ideas begin to slowly drip from the pencil clutched in hand, starting out small but eventually growing larger and more defined until a short story is completely formed, such as The Veldt. There are many twists and turns spiraling off of the path, however, for the writing of a story is not often a straightforward process. Finally, his shirt bears an excerpt of The Veldt, because, since he first began writing at the tender age of twelve, Bradbury has ‘worn’ his words, and his stories and plays and the like have formed the world’s image of him, grown along with him, and defined him as Ray Bradbury. I also have the text of The Veldt in the background because, while with Mr. Electrico, he was shown The Illustrated Man, which is the name of the anthology that contains The Veldt. All throughout the image I incorporate plants, as a symbol of growth, focused around the parts of his childhood that were the most influential towards his development as a writer; however, I also try to add a slightly rustic feel to the image, to create a balance between the old splotches and new and growing plants, for, even in his late 80’s, Bradbury’s childhood is still very important to him, and he still sees himself as a child."
The Veldt belongs to Ray Bradbury
Brushes belong to their respective owners.
The reason I haven't been updating as much as I'd like to is because of English and this huge-ass research project we had to do. First came the huge essay, and then came the "creative element" and the short biographical essay. At least I got to draw something for the biographical part, ahaa.
I spent roughly six straight hours on this, from start to finish. Done in Photoshop 7 on... I don't even remember how many layers. It was over 30.
Yeah, I know the foot is backwards, and the anatomy is off, but I was pressed for time. xD;;
Copy and pasted from my paper.
"Ray Bradbury has a very peculiar story about how he was inspired to begin writing. At the age of 12, he saw the performer Mr. Electrico at a carnival in his hometown of Waukegan, Illinois. During a performance, Mr. Electrico shocked Bradbury and shouted, “Live forever!” Wanting to know the secret of immortality, Bradbury returned the next day, only to discover that Mr. Electrico believed him to be the reincarnation of a friend who died in his arms in World War I. The entire experience inspired Bradbury to write each and every day since then. This is why, in my creative element, I chose to have ‘young’ Bradbury balanced atop a carnival tent: to show where his foundation for writing was established. In this particular picture I decided to depict him as his 12-year-old self, not only because, again, he got his start in writing at twelve, but also because, in several interviews, Bradbury has stated that he still feels as if he is only 12-years-old, and considers himself to be that young. However, I opted to color his hair grey as a soft reminder of just how long Bradbury has been writing for. Hanging from his left foot is a bag full of newspapers, a bit higher than the tent, to represent the next step in Bradbury’s journey towards writing – the accumulation of funds to enable him to devote all of his time to his one true passion.
Clutched in Bradbury’s hand is a book, his eyes focused on the text and green sprouting from the pages. Bradbury read often as a child, influenced by the writing of the authors whose works he read, especially Edgar Rice Burroughs. The sprouts of green symbolize the metaphorical sprouts planted and nurtured in Bradbury’s mind with every book he read as a child, transforming him into the writer who he is today. His eyes diverted to the book, his mind shaped and formed by the text, ideas begin to slowly drip from the pencil clutched in hand, starting out small but eventually growing larger and more defined until a short story is completely formed, such as The Veldt. There are many twists and turns spiraling off of the path, however, for the writing of a story is not often a straightforward process. Finally, his shirt bears an excerpt of The Veldt, because, since he first began writing at the tender age of twelve, Bradbury has ‘worn’ his words, and his stories and plays and the like have formed the world’s image of him, grown along with him, and defined him as Ray Bradbury. I also have the text of The Veldt in the background because, while with Mr. Electrico, he was shown The Illustrated Man, which is the name of the anthology that contains The Veldt. All throughout the image I incorporate plants, as a symbol of growth, focused around the parts of his childhood that were the most influential towards his development as a writer; however, I also try to add a slightly rustic feel to the image, to create a balance between the old splotches and new and growing plants, for, even in his late 80’s, Bradbury’s childhood is still very important to him, and he still sees himself as a child."
The Veldt belongs to Ray Bradbury
Brushes belong to their respective owners.
