End of semester 1

Bellow is for semester 1 - Enjoy!

So whats next?

Well i feel iv created some images that work really well and some that don't but i think that's quite interesting in its self. I feel iv stepped away from cliche and created some of my very own interpretations of hel through form, shape and colour. I feel the use of traditional art watercolours really gives texture and life to each of the designs.

What i want to next is create some designs from the songs iv looked into and use watercolours as a window into traditional art and to give body and soul to the design. Once a couple of these are created id like to look into making these images into gives or at least have some form of movement as i feel it could bring a new interesting element to the images.

I feel right now my main art influence has gone back to tradition at looking deeply into Willam Turner as i feel he has influenced the way i create art and am conscious of colour and light.

Hopefully next semester i will be able to push myself as hard as i have in the last 2 weeks due to my circumstances over the last month and can come up with some really interesting art.

Hermods Ride To Hell

Ride Sleipnir

Ride for all your worth

Faster then lightning

To the dark realms of the world

Through valleys of darkness

On the way to Nifelheim

To the house of Hel

Where my brother awaits

Wailing voices on the wind

Urging me to turn

Distant torture screams

Cold blue fires burn

I hear the sound of River Gjll

Running cold and deep

Its golden bridge hangs in the dark

The bridge that Modgunn keeps

Over the bridge, all through the night

Hel is getting near

There are the gates, towering high

Afflicting me with fear

In her hall at the honour seat

My brother sits in pain

Pale and tortured by the Greeks

Bound by invisible frozen chains

[Hermod:]

I am bound to bring him back with me!

The whole world mourns his death!

Please set brother free!

Give him back his breath!

[Hel:]

If its true, what you say to me

That the whole world mourns his death

If the whole world will weep, I will give him back his life!

"Destroyer Of The Universe"

                                                I rise up from muspelheim

                                                     My fury is sublime

The sword I bring burns violently

With wild and lethal flames

I march against the asagods

To bring the end of time

I am pure and endless pain

And Surtur is my name

See me rise, the mighty Surt

Destroyer of the universe

Bringer of flames and endless hurt

Scorcher of men and earth

[Solo: Södenberg]

Swordless frej with horn in hand

Rises to his final stand

He doesn't stand a single chance

I'll split his living corpse in half

And yet he stabbed me in the eye

He drove the horn in deep

The overwhelming, raging pain

Is driving me insane

The waves of flames that

I've unleashed will eat us all alive

The rage that burns within my heart

Is uncontrolled and wild

And now everything shall die!

Massive waves consume us all, the ocean is released

Our dying world quakes underneath

And sinks into the sea

And now nothing will survive!

Extinction waits for everyone

For gods and men alike

When all are gone of the old world

A new one will arise

[Solo: Södenberg]

See me rise, the mighty Surt

Destroyer of the universe

Bringer of flames and endless hurt

Scorcher of men and earth

See me die, the mighty Surt

Destroyer of the universe

Drowning in waves that floods the earth

The beginning, of a new rebirth

"War Of The Gods"

                                       War, the very first war of our world,

                                      When the treacherous witch was killed

Three times burned and three times born,

By searing flames was Gullveig torn.

Death, Odin hurled his spear off with great force

Deep into the great vana-fyrd

battle horns gave up their sound

And Asgard walls razed to the ground.

The Vanir felt deceived

Höne was a fool

without Mímir at his side

Höne could not rule

In a fit of violent rage

Mímir's blood was shed

and to Odin's court they sent Mímir's severed head

Truce, so a brittle and frail peace was forged

And to ensure that the peace remained.

Njordr and Freyr to Asgard came

and Hön' and Mim to Vanaheim

Death, see the furious gods wanting blood,

Odin knew that a raging war

would not bring them any gain

Just leave a black and bitter stain.

Odin tog huvudet och

smorde det med örter

som hindrar det

från att ruttna

han kvad sedan

trollsånger över det

så att Mimer åter

kunde tala till honom

[English translation:]

Odin took the head, and anointed it with herbs

which prevents it from rotting

he sang his magic songs over it

so that Mimer be able to speak to him

The Vanir felt deceived

Höne was a fool

without Mímir at his side

Höne could not rule

In a fit of violent rage

Mímir's blood was shed

and to Odin's court they sent Mímir's severed head

"Hel" - Relevant (LOOK INTO THIS ONE FIRST!!)

                                             Welcome to my humble home

                                                 Your soul is mine to keep

There are no walls of rock and stone

Yet no one ever leaves

Those wo die of age and plague

Are welcomed in my court

Murderers, miscreants

Will linger here and rot

Those who die inglorious

And those who die in shame

They are all sent to my dark halls

They all shall fear my name

[Chorus:]

Here hunger is your plate

Here famine is your knife

Here you will forever dwell

I welcome you to Hel

I welcome you to Hel

Now here you are in my cold realm

You are my honoured guest

At the banquette of the dead

Your soul will never rest

[Chorus:]

Here sickness is your bed

Here ruin is your fell

Here you will forever dwell

I welcome you to

Here hunger is your plate

Here famine is your knife

Here you will forever dwell

I welcome you to Hel

"Father Of The Wolf"

So he found the heart in barren land
It was beating, still alive
He held it gently in his hand
And looked up to the sky

With evil thoughts of vicious kind
And sinister disdain
His thoughts of bringing back to life
The witch that died in flames

[Chorus:]
Serpent's kin
Born of sin
Dark within
Father of the wolf!

He then devoured Gullveig's heart
And she was born again
They brought to life an evil force
A beast that can't be tamed

With dark deception in his soul
Betrayal of the gods
The bane of Oden now is born
Born of evil blood

[Chorus:]
Serpent's kin
Born of sin
Dark within
Father of the wolf!

They brought to life a malicious force
A vile beast that cannot be tamed
Fimbultyr's nemesis now is born
A vile beast that can't be restrained

Dark!
Deception is his
Soul!
Betrayal of the
Gods!
Oden's bane is
Born!
Born of evil blood!

[Chorus:]
Serpent's kin
Born of sin
Dark within
Father of the wolf

"As Loke Falls"

Heimdall gazes east
A sail has caught his eye
He lifts his hand and sounds the horn
The undead army has arrived

Here comes Nagelfar
With Laufey's son on board
He brings chaos, hate and wrath
He brings the war to end all wars

Heimdall knows his fate
The end of all nine worlds
It's what the Vala has foreseen
He knows that everything shall burn

Facing Lopt's deceit
Now they finally meet
The champion and his enemy
On Vigrid's plains they'll find defeat

Their swords meet in a mighty clash
War cries sound, horns they blast
Their eager weapons whip and thrash
This day when all shall end

The lords of war are equal strong
This battle frantic and forlorn
The blades sing a macabre song
This day when all shall end

Heimdall's blade bites burning sharp
As it cuts through flesh and bone
Blood comes gushing from the wound
As Loke's head falls tumbling
Rolling to the burning ground

Lyrics from folktales of norse

I feel looking into different more new age folk tales of Norse may give me a different visual than what older ones would, also since there newer maybe they have a different take and view point of the story.

Over Christmas i plan on creating visuals for a couple of these story's to see what visuals i can create to communicate them. Movement also may be used to display the mood and feeling.

Thor

Even tho is about thor at least its done in a nicer newer style which isnt so cliché The use of negative space is also nicely considered and colour, with the grain effect casts the idea of old.

Cliché Norse tales

Thor is something i want to stay right away from, everyone knows him from comics to movies especially after marvel got there hands on him and his story.

I really want to look into other storys and illustrations and art styles than this cliché.

My Ideas on Form and Shape

The beginning of my images im very conscious about form and shape as i feel its best to start by thinking what underlying ideas you want the viewer to perceive. The meanings behind circles and shape and also there symbolism as this something that the basic art of norse entailed. These messages are what i want to stand out so it will be very crucial to get these correct from the get go.

Also i think its in my best interest to consider negative space as its something almost always forgotten and unused which could be fun to play about with

Form and shape

Form is one of the seven elements of art. At its most basic, a form is a three-dimensional geometrical figure (i.e.: sphere, cube, cylinder, cone, etc.), as opposed to a shape, which is two-dimensional, or flat.

In a broader sense, form, in art, means the whole of a piece's visible elements and the way those elements are united. In this context, form allows us as viewers to mentally capture the work, understand it and attempt to analyze it.

Finally, form refers to the visible elements of a piece, independent of their meaning. For example, when viewing Leonardo's Mona Lisa, the formal elements therein are: color, dimension, lines, mass, shape, etc., while the feelings of mystery and intrigue the piece evokes are informal products of the viewer's imagination.

Shape

A shape is an area enclosed by a line. It could be just an outline or it could be shaded in.

Shapes can be either geometric, like a circle, square or triangle, or irregular.

When drawing shapes, you must consider the size and position as well as the shape of the area around it. The shapes created in the spaces between shapes are referred to as negative space.

My ideas on Colour theory

Colour theory plays a massive role in the artwork i create/want/will create. By considering the colour as light, colour as symbol and colour as emotion i feel this is the key to making a worthy creative piece as this is what changes a sketch into a masterpiece and a person into an artist. Colour is what makes a painting come to life so why cant this be the case with digital. Why is this greatly forgotten in this digital world.

Colour as a symbol will fight nicely into my norse story's but also emotion as back in the days of fighting there was so much anger and pain yet beauty which is forgotten. Brining in colour as light i feel will be what makes the image pop. Cant wait to try this out! Especially in motion..

Colour theory

Definition:

(noun) - Color is the element of art that is produced when light, striking an object, is reflected back to the eye.

There are three (3) properties to color. First is hue, which simply means the name we give to a color (red, yellow, blue, etc.).

The second property is intensity, which refers to the strength and vividness of the color. For example, we may describe the color blue as "royal" (bright, rich, vibrant) or "dull" (grayed).

The third and final property of color is its value, meaning its lightness or darkness. The terms shade and tint are in reference to value changes in colors.

Pronunciation: cull·er

Also Known As: hue

Alternate Spellings: colour

Examples: "Artists can color the sky red because they know it's blue. Those of us who aren't artists must color things the way they really are or people might think we're stupid." - Jules Feiffer

WHY DO YOU NEED TO UNDERSTAND COLOR THEORY?

• A knowledge of Color Theory increases our understanding and appreciation of the different ways that artists use color.

• Some artists are fascinated by the effects of light; some are interested in the symbolic meaning of color; and some use color to express their emotions. Color theory in art can be summed up under three headings: Color as Light, Color as Symbol and Color as Emotion.

• A knowledge of Color Terms helps us to express how this visual element it is used in art and design. It gives us the vocabulary to clearly state our feelings about an artwork or design.

Thoughts on Composition

I feel like composition is going to play a big role in my work and something i definitely need to consider. The use of the 8 elements such as rythem and balance can really pull someone's focus into an image. With this i would like to make a comparison with another art piece to create contrast. Like what can be seen in valhalla and helheim. As it reminds me of artwork i was looking at last year with william turner and his use of lighting to contrast two matching pieces which made me feel a sense of harmony between both and drew me in more than other art work.

Goethe's Theory of colour and light is very relevant in these images. And something i would like to look into deeper.

Composition

Composition is the term used for the arrangements of the elements in or the subject matter of a painting. Done successfully, it draws in the viewer and pulls their eye across the whole painting so that everything is taken in and finally settles on the main subject of the painting.

In his Notes of a Painter,Henri Matisse defined it this way: "Composition is the art of arranging in a decorative manner the diverse elements at the painter's command to express his feelings."

The Elements of Composition in art are used to arrange or organize the components in a way that is pleasing to the artist and, hopefully, the viewer. It helps give structure to the layout and the way the subject is presented. It also encourages or leads the viewer's eye to wander around the whole painting, taking in everything and ultimately coming back to rest on the focal point. In Western art they are generally considered to be:

• Unity: Do all the parts of the composition feel as if they belong together, or does something feel stuck on, awkwardly out of place?
• Balance: Having a symmetrical arrangement adds a sense of calm, whereas an asymmetrical arrangement creates a sense of unease, imbalance. (See example)
• Movement: There many ways to give a sense of movement in a painting, such as the arrangement of objects, the position of figures, the flow of a river. (See example)
• Rhythm: In much the same way music does, a piece of art can have a rhythm or underlying beat that leads and paces the eye as you look at it. Look for the large underlying shapes (squares, triangles, etc.) and repeated color. (See example)
• Focus (or Emphasis): The viewer's eye ultimately wants to rest of the "most important" thing or focal point in the painting, otherwise the eye feels lost, wandering around in space. (See example)
• Contrast: Strong differences between light and dark, or minimal, such as Whistlerdid in his Nocturne series. (See example)
• Pattern: An underlying structure, the basic lines and shapes in the composition.
• Proportion: How things fit together, big and small, nearby and distant.

The Elements of Composition are not the same as the Elements of Art, though composition is one of the latter.

Next stage

So at this point i have a good few designs i want to push further with motion in after effects. Only issue i need to find a uni computer with it which the last few times iv went in i cant find one with it.

I feel that having motion will really bring these illustrations to life.

Agalloch - Pantheist

Beautiful song, full of energy and very empowering, great for doing work. Could i add in music to my designs somehow? 

Picture stones

Here are some beautiful Viking picture stones, would love to try this out with watercolours.