Modern twist on nonsense poem
Whenever I'm given project I like to give a modern twist to it. In this case changed the theme of The Owl and the Pussycat to one of a civil partnership. The poem is nonsense and tells of two animals setting off in a boat to an island to get married. However it doesn't say what gender the animals are. This allowed me to come up with random roughs for the character designs before settling with a smart suited look. I wanted the look of the illustrations to be relaxed and show humour so that it appeals to a wider audience. Rather than stick with the default colours for the sky, sea and island, which look boring after time, I gave it an exotic look with peach and dark red for the sky and a shade of dark green for the sea. The pink for the island probably shows paradise for those in same-sex relationships. The gouache paint may be too heavy in some places but otherwise looks strong while the fine tip pen gives the outline a smart clean look. Did I find this project enjoyable? Definitely and I would relish bringing more classic poem or story into the 21st Century thats open to more people.
