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FINAL _PROJECT PROPOSAL

NAME: Elliott Young

PROJECT TITLE: Gender roles and expectations within Fairy Tale narratives  

THE SUBJECT OF YOUR INVESTIGATION AND WHAT YOU WISH TO COMMUNICATE: Scope of idea or concept (max 150 words) You should outline what you are proposing to investigate both in terms of content, form and process/medium. This project will be based on my Reimagining Narrative Project in my Second Year; where I created a short gender-reversed animation based on the fairy tale of Beauty and the Beast. I want to further explore the gender-expectations in traditional fairy tale morels and contextualise them with moral’s that are relevant towards the general public, that will be relevant today.   I aim to create a short story with black and white illustrations

RESEARCH SOURCES: (primary and secondary) - people, locations, key texts, books, magazines articles, blogs, discussion forms, museums, archives that relate to your content/theme or the anticipated form. Le Bélle et La Bête (1946) Chris Riddell Illustrations Fairy tale and myths from across the Fairy Tale illustrations Megan Kearney's Beauty and The Beast webcomic + interview . Books from the library about fairy tales/gender roles.

DESCRIBE THE FORMAT/PROCESS FOR YOUR PROJECT:
(Method of working, print or digital? Moving Image etc. I first would have to write the short story based off the basic premise. Afterwards I would thumbnail the illustration, then I would design the characters and setting. Afterwards I would draw the illustrations using ink.

WHO IS YOUR AUDIENCE? (Age, sex, general, etc) I am aiming the audience towards 7+ year olds; but have morals and meanings which the general audience will appreciate.

DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
(What do you hope to learn? How are you extending or challenging your thinking and working methods?) I hope to learn the the objective of creating a illustrated short story  designed by myself. I what to see how my perception of gender-roles have changed in the past few years and how they relate to a wider context. I also will have to challenge my literary skills; as well as my drawing skills that match the book’s text. Which I can move forward with these skills into after graduation.   I also hope that this project will help me work well with a tight deadline; and produce a result as a high quality so it could have the potential to be published.    

DESCRIBE WHAT WILL WE SEE AT THE FINAL PRESENTATION I plan to have a series of illustrations hanged up on the wall with text alongside each story. I will also have hanging vines for decoration.

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Final Major Project - Evaluation

At the beginning of my final major project (FMP), I wanted to take a brief that I could see receiving in the near future as a freelance illustrator. So I decided to do a series of illustrations for a book that had the possibility of being published. However I was not sure what I wanted the theme to be; so I decided that I would look back at the previous work that I have done and decided that I would do a series of illustrations of a retold version of Beauty and the Beast in which the gender of the main characters were changed. I thought that this topic would have a lot of potential because it was a new take based on a pre-existing story with multiple adaptations to the source material.

I had to look into researching the topics surrounding gender roles with in fairy tales from a broad spectrum of people including academics to the well informed creatives. For example I know that many fairy tales books during the eighteenth century were only available for the wealthy and aristocrats due to the cost of printing; so many writer’s of the time would write stories in which would contain ideology for those audiences to follow when they reach maturity. I have also researched this topic I have become intrigued with different works having similar themes and plots; regardless of where the story originated.   

One aspect of the project I felt helped my development was visiting the zoo so I could be able to draw those animals from life. Because the experience taught me to draw the main form of the animal as a whole and to draw quickly due to the animals not staying in one place at any of time. The drawings would help me to add to the design of the Beast and fully realise the character as not just a pretty cat-girl with horns, but an intimidating; yet vulnerable creature.

I wanted to create illustrations that would have the standard to be published in a book or shown during a gallery. However I do think I was over ambitious in the early days on making a physical book with illustrations and the level of details I wanted.    

For my materials I decided to used an ink and dip-pen which allowed me to render the illustrations that would have a strong line but look gothic due to many gothic illustrations were created using the same materials. I decided to only use two coloured inks gold and silver because I wanted to replicate the same visual tone that Chris Riddell implements in his work when he illustrates Neil Gaiman’s text. I feel that not only does the black and white illustrations are rendered well I also think that he uses colours it stands out even more. However I feel that when I used the colour inks it works well but it did take a lot of time; due to the inks needed to be mixed and that I would be have to put down more that one coat for the coloured ink to be as vibrant as I wanted.

If I was to be critical of myself looking back on myself is that, there were times when I didn’t experiment and explore different techniques or methods of working. Also again with me I felt that there were time in which I don’t think that I managed my time on the projected as well as I could have; if I did I would have been able to render to a much higher level then I had at this moment in time.

If I had more time to do this project again I would first take more time writing out a more original story, then a close adaptation in which I took out of the original book. I also would add more illustrations into the book and get the book bounded professionally.  And also to animate a short segment of the book in the style of the illustrations.  

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Final Outcomes

After I finished the pencil lines; I inked over the pencil lines using a pen nib and india inks for the line art and cross hatching. After the main bulk of inking was finished I painted each frame, using gold and silver ink in reference to Chris Riddle’s work ; in which he only uses one /two colours for his interior illustrations. 

I liked using silver and gold inks; because they were bright and vivid, which made the illustration stand out and draws the viewer’s attention toward the illustrations. However this did lead the paper to because warped; in hind sight I should have used self adhesive tape so that the paper would be straight when I painted in the solid area’s of ink.  

Once I had scared them into the computer, I edited each illustration in photoshop; so I would be able to increase the contrast for the line work and use the clone stamp to clean up the colour’s of the inks in��main frames of each illustrations. This was important to do do so that when I send the files off to the printers; the illustrations will be at a standard that I am satisfied with to display for the Degree Show.  

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Sketches

For the sketches I used a 2H pencil so that the line of the work could be erased more easily. Working off cartridge paper I drew ten images based on thumbnails from before and after the tutorials. I didn’t need to get into detail because I would go over and adjust the illustrations when I ink them.

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Thumbnails 2

In these thumbnails I made them bigger to improve the line work and to show the composition clearer for when I will draw these thumbnails in pencil.

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Tutorial with Gary Neill

I had a tutorial with professional illustrator Gary Neill today and showed him the character designs and thumbnails for the illustrations. I was asked about the context of the illustration in which I replied that the characters of beauty and the beast were gender-swapped and that there will be text alongside the illustrations in which I showed him the text I had written.

Gary was was pleased at where I was at the moment but had some suggestion for me. Wanted me to look at the composition and relationship between the characters using frames. And told me to look at Chris Riddell’s work again; as well as illustrator Alan Love. He also wanted me to look at Density and weight of the line. And consider scale of the media and materials.

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Book Text

I searched online for the original text by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont and copied the text into my page document. Then I edited the text to switch the gender specific words and added background elements of the characters to match the genders expectation and the events leading up to the story.

Each paragraph is supported by an illustration which would accompany the text in the book.

The Son & the Creature

1. There was once a widow and her son who lived in a small cottage outside of a town in France. The widow had lost her husband when her son; Hugo was a infant. The widow’s grief of her husband was great; but would by subdued by her son’s smile and laughter, and by doing so she cherished him with all her heart could let. To provide for herself and her child, she decided to become a washer-woman who would go into town and collect people’s clothes and linens; for her to clean at her cottage. Years later, Hugo would be able to help his mother by harvesting the vegetables that they grew and selling them in town. He had come to the age where most young men would think about marriage and making their own way in the world; however, Hugo was no like many men his age, and was content about staying by his mother’s side.  

2. One day as the widow walked back from the town, she decided to take a short cut through the dark forest so she could arrive before her son. But unexpected, she discovered a hidden chateau in which she saw a wall of brightly stunning roses growing outside the gate. “What beautiful flowers,” said the Widow. As she plucked a rose from the wall; immediately she heard a great noise, and saw such a frightful Creature like noting that she had seen before. Frozen in fear, the creature grabbed her arm from which the plucked rose was.

"You are very ungrateful.” said the Beast to her, in a terrible voice; "you steal my roses, which I value beyond anything in this world, and think you can go unpunished, there shall be dire consequences for your actions, Madam."

The widow fell on her knees, and lifted up both her hands, "My Lady," she said, "I beseech you to forgive me, I had no Idea these roses were yours; I was just coming home to my son, when I …”

"My name is not My Lady," replied the monster, "but Creature; I don't love compliments, nor do I like people to speak as they think; so, do not think, I am to be moved by any of your flattering speeches. But you say you have a son. I will forgive you, on condition that he comes willingly in your place.”

“I could never…” said the widow trembling in fear. “Silence!” proclaimed the Creature. “you have till tomorrow dusk, to make up your mind; either your son comes in your place or you return for your punishment. Now leave.”  

3. As she arrived home, Hugo came around to her, but instead of receiving his embraces with pleasure, she looked on him, and holding up the rose she had in her hands, and burst into tears. “Oh, how your foolish mother has unknowingly hurt you” she wept; after she told Hugo her fatal tale, Hugo felt nothing but sorrow and pity. “I will not let you suffer this burden; let me take your place and prove my love for you”. “I will not let you imagine such a thing, I am old and lived my life; I cannot lose you as I did your Father.” the widow said firmly. But for Hugo’s his mind was made up; he could not live with the guilt of letting the woman who cared and cherished him for his entire live, destroy herself at the hands of this Creature.

4. As dusk approached the following day, Hugo followed the path his mother took from the town, which lead him to the Secluded chateau nestled within the forest.  As he walked through the candle-lit hall a eerie voice echoed throughout the chateau: “Welcome Hugo, banish your fear, You are Lord and master here. Speak your wishes, speak your will, Swift obedience meets them still.” Hugo replied: “I only wish to see my mother.” Just then a lit room shined above the staircase, in which Hugo followed into a grand oak bedroom in which he had never seen before. The light glimmered from a mirror in the wall in which Hugo saw not his reflection; but his mother in weeping in sorrow, at the realisation of her son’s sacrifice for her.

5. Later, Hugo was instructed by the voice to the dining hall; the dining hall was dark; with only a few candles to light the dimly lit room by themselves. As he sat down he heard the heavy breathing that the creature made, and could not help be afraid. "Hugo," said the Creature, "will you allow me eat with you?" "If that is your wish, you are the mistress of this place" answered Hugo timidly. "No," replied the Beast, "you are my guest here; you need only bid me gone, if my presence is troublesome, I will leave immediately. But before you do, tell me, do you think that I am ugly?" “I cannot lie” said Hugo cautiously, "At first glance: yes.”  “But I believe there is more to you than what I can see." "So, I am," said the creature, “Eat then, Hugo, and endeavor to amuse yourself in my home, for everything here is yours, and I should be very uneasy, if you were not happy." "You are very generous," answered Hugo, "Yes, yes," said the Creature, "my heart maybe good, but still I am a monster." "there are many that deserve that name more than you, and I prefer you, just as you are, to those, who, under a human form, are vain, corrupt, and ungrateful heart.” says Beauty "If I had sense enough," replied the Creature, "I would make a fine compliment to thank you, but I am so dull, that I can only say, I am greatly obliged to you."

Hugo ate a hearty supper, and had almost conquered his dread of the monster; but he would have been ill, when she said to him, "Hugo, will you be my Husband?”

Stunned Hugo questioned politely, “I don’t know how to answer that question, madam.” “Say yes or no; whatever is true to yourself” the Creature replied. “Then no, I cannot be your husband” Hugo said softly. As the Creature in a mournful voice stood; she said to him, "then farewell, Hugo.” The Creature left the room; and only turned back, now and then, to look at him as she walked out.    

6. Hugo spent three months very contentedly within the chateau. Every evening the Creature paid him a visit, and talked to him, during supper, very rationally, with plain good common sense, but never with what the world calls wit; and Hugo daily discovered a new trait of the monster that made him feel at ease towards her. Seeing her often had made him grow familiar to her deformity, that, far from dreading the time of her visit, he would often look on his watch to see when it would be nine, for the Creature never missed coming at that hour. 7. However, there was but one thing that gave Hugo any concern, which was, that every night, before he went to bed, the monster always asked him, if he would be her husband. One day he said to her, "Creature, you make me very uneasy, I wish I could consent to marry you, but I am too sincere to make you believe that will ever happen; I shall always see you as a friend, I hope that you understand this.” "I must," said the Creature, "for, alas! I know too well my own misfortune, but then I love you with the tenderness affection. However, I ought to think myself happy, that you will stay here; promise me never to leave me.”

Hugo blushed at these words; he had seen in his glass, that his Mother had mourned herself sick for the loss of him, and he longed to see her again. “If I did," he answered, “If I promised to stay with you, would you allow me to see my mother once and again." "I would rather die," said the creature, "than give you the least uneasiness. But If I allow you to see your mother, you shall remain with her, and I would surely die with grief." "No," said Hugo, concerned, "I care about you too well to be the cause of your death. I give you my promise to return in a week with my mother, I am all that she has left.” The Creature looked at Hugo and sighed in agreement "You may leave for tomorrow morn," said the Beast, "but week is a long time, I have faith that you will remember your promise”. 8. As true to the Creature’s word, the next morning Hugo ran as fast as he could back to his Mothers, at which when she saw him, the woman ran up into his arms for good of an hour, and thought she should have died with joy to see her dearest son again. As the week went by, Hugo could not help reflecting on himself, although he was grateful to be home he felt the guilt he was likely to cause poor creature, whom he sincerely cared, and longed to see again. “It is true, I do not feel the tenderness of affection for her, but I find I have the highest gratitude, esteem, and friendship; I cannot make her miserable, were I to be so ungrateful I should never be able to forgive myself."

9. Early the next Morning Hugo arrived at the chateaux; but he saw poor Beast stretched out under the rose bushes, cold and, as he feared, dead. He threw himself upon her without any dread, and found her heart beat still, he fetched some water from the canal, and poured it on her head. The Creature opened her eyes, and said to Hugo, "You came too late, and I was so afflicted for having lost you, that I resolved to starve myself, but since I have the happiness of seeing you once more, I die with great ease.” "No, dear Creature," cried Hugo, “please don’t die. I thought I had only had friendship for you, but the grief I now feel convinces me, that I cannot live without you."

10. As Hugo pronounced these words, he saw the chateaux sparkle with light; and fireworks, and instruments of sweet music, everything seemed to give notice of some great event. But nothing could fix his attention; he turned to his dear Creature, for whom he shook with surprise; but how great was his surprise! Creature was disappeared, and he saw, at his feet, one of the loveliest women that his eye ever beheld; who returned her thanks for having put an end to the charm, under which she had so long resembled a Beast. Though this princess was worthy of all his attention, he could not forbear asking where Creature was. "You see her at your feet, smiled the princess. A loathly Warlock had condemned me to remain under that shape; after I refused his proposal of Marriage. The curse could only be broken by another man could love myself from within. There was only you in the world generous enough to be won by the goodness of my temper, and in offering you my crown I can't discharge the obligations I have to you.” “Hugo, will you be my Husband.” As Hugo agreed the two embraced and in a moment, all that were in the hall were transported into the princess dominions. Her subjects received her with joy. She married Hugo, and lived with him for many years, and their happiness -- as it was founded on virtue -- was complete.

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Tutorial with Jim and Paul

After speaking with Jim and Paul; I came away with a few suggestions on how to advance forward. After seeing the thumbnails Jim suggested that I should have text alongside the images for people who didn’t know the story of Beauty and the Beast and then change the proverbs that were gender-specific to match with the characters in my story. He also suggested that for the final illustration when the creature turns human again; she should be taller then Hugo, emphasising the gender reversal to the reader.  

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Initial Thumbnails

After I finished the initial character designs I drew small thumbnails of the main points of each story. This was to get an idea of how many images it would take to tell the story clearly with just illustrations. I used ink for the drawings so that i could focus on the line work and the composition of each thumbnail.    

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Mother Sketches For the Mother I wanted her to look warm and kind so she would be comforting to Hugo and emphasise the strong bond for one and the other. So that the viewer can see the strain when they are forcibly separated from each other. For this design I wanted to show that she was older but also plain looking to show that her background as a peasant.

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Creature Sketches

When it came down to designing the Creature (Beast) it was important to keep a few point in mind for the design. The Creature should be larger then Hugo, still have a female silhouette and not to make the creature too appealing. I incorporated a number of animals into the face; including wolves, lions and Deers. I also doodled a variety of dresses for the creature to wear.

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Handsome/Hugo sketches

When it came down to design the ‘Beauty’ character called Hugo. I looked at a number references from a visual library that I have looked at these included photo’s online and images from book including Chris Riddell’s Sketchbook in which I had drawn a number of variations. Afterwards I drew a prototype in that; the character was not the finished model but a base as a reference image.  

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Observational Animal Sketches

I first started off by life drawing a number of animals; so that I could use them as reference and incorporate elements into the Beast’s feature’s. I did this by going to Port Lyme for a day during the easter break; and went  around a number of encloses the draw different animals inside. Not only did I have the challenge of draw from life; but I had to deal with the animals moving into different poses or walk to different parts of the enclosure, this meant I had to draw the sketches loosely and fast to get the form’s of each animal. I found this challenging at first but I found out, it was useful so that I could draw the animals in different angles and viewpoints.

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Observational Drawings - Beauty and The Beast  

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Research - La Belle et La Bête (1946) dir. Jean Cocteau

La Belle et La Bête is a french made film made in 1946 after the Second World War. French Artist Jean Cocteau directed this adaptation with a gothic tone that visually  would be bring the fairy tale like none has seen before. I chose this film adaptation rather then the Disney adaptation because the film gothic visuals is what I would want for for the illustrations that I have in mind to draw from.

I like that the film is visual surreal; you can tell by the slow shots and the smooth tracking that the film is dream-like, which make the setting for the film much more believable as a Fairy Tale.

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Research - Angela Carter’s The Bloody Chamber: The Tiger’s Bride & The Lady of the House of Love (1979)

Angela Carter was a female writer who was best known for her retellings of classic fairy tales. The two short stories I focused on in her collection of stories are: ‘The Tiger’s bride’ and ‘The Lady of the House of Love”.    

‘The Tiger’s Bride’ is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast that has some significant changes to the story. The main one is that instead of the Tiger turning into a Human at the end of the story, it is beauty who after accepts the beast for who he is is turned into a tiger so they can become equals of each other.

‘The Lady of the House of Love’ has the same premise as beauty and the beast but is a vampire story that is based in Transylvania during the first world war. The Lady of the House is a vampire known as the countess who lures men to her chambers before she kills them, drinks their blood and then bury them in the Garden. Until a British soldier (who is a virgin) comes to the chateau and before she can kill him in her bedroom she cuts herself on her thumb; the soldier kisses the thumb and falls asleep, when he wake the next morning and find the countess dead freed from the curse of bloodlust and immortality.

Both of these stories deal with the concept of virginity and that both metamorphosis of beauty into the tiger and the countess into a human  is used as a metaphor for the loss of virginity. It is important to note that both protagonists are virgins at the beginning are dealt with situations that end up with them sacrificing there purity for the desires of their partners.

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Research - Jack Zipes Fairy Tales and the Art of Subversion (2006)

In this book Zipes explores how the theme and constructs of Fairy Tales haver an impact on children’s culture. As Zipes Explains: “The roles of males and females became more rigidly defined: men became more closely associated with reason, temperance, activism, and sovereign order; females became more identified with irrationality, whimsy, passivity, and subversive deviance.”(pg. 48).

Zipes addresses Madam D’Aulnoy influence of depicting both the postive and negative aspects of beauty. “ When docile and obedient, it can benefit male nobility. On the other hand, when it loses control over itself, beauty can destroy domestic tranquillity and masculine dignity.”(pg. 52)

It is interesting that that the woman has the power to save or destroy the man who always represents cavity and rationality. The male protagonist is never responsible for the world being out of joint. (pg. 56) Zipes' deconstruction of Madam D’Aulnoy writing shows that her focus was in the female audience to change and follow the moral that were expected of them; which woman were more scrutinised due to religious beliefs that it was Eve’s actions that condemned humanity to life with suffering.