the rough pages...

while reading this text and envisioning the translation into imagery, it became quickly apparent that there was not a lot to work as far as a linear narrative was concerned. the first half of the first (fourth) was very heavy on the metaphors and very light on description or dialogue. I suppose that that is largly due to the fact that I am starting with the fourth chapter and the bulk of the setting and character description would have been delt with in previous chapters (and, yes, I have thought about reading the rest of the book and, no, I have not done it yet). so, I needed to figure out a way to establish the main three characters (Aalo, Priidik, and the forest)and their relationships. the following drawing illustrate that process. the captions are pieces taken directly from the text (except : "where is the water, woman?") and will be incorporated into the image (somehow). they're all in order, so... yeah check em out.

thanks- Ben

"yet just as the day is split into two halves..."

"one governed by the sun.../the other by the moon..."

"so there are many who people of the day..."

"who busy themselves with day time deeds..."

"whilst others are children of the night their minds  consumed with nocturnal notions..."

"but yet thereare some in whom the two merge like the rising of the sun and the moon i

"and all shall be shone in good time..."

"when fate thinks it fit."

these are studies of format and line attitude.  I like the one of Aalo. things are kinda coming together as far as the layout goes. but it isn't easy to get things done, my two year old daughter see's to that. but after spring break things should loosen up quite a bit and I intend to attack this project pretty fiercely.
stay tuned, all three of you.


-Ben

the story... as I see it.

the thing about this project, or rather what I think is going to be "the thing", is to finding and maintaining a balance between the intentions of the author and my own interpretive inclinations. I would like very much to be true to the intentions of Kallas' story, however, it is going to be difficult in the sense that I am no expert on Kallas or the social morays and cultural imagery of a 17th century Estonian village. So, for some of it I'm just gonna have to wing it, and hope for the best.


for those of you unfamiliar with the story, here's a brief synopses: the story takes place in the 17th century on an island of the coast of Estonia called Hiiumaa. Aalo, the protagonist, is around 18 to20 years old and married to Priidik the Woodsman who is older, perhaps mid to late twenties. He is portrayed as a nice enough fellow, fairly conservative as one would expect, what with all the 17th century christian tight-assedness,but he is portrayed as kind and a good provider. Together with Aalo, they have one son.
The fourth chapter (which is my starting point) begins in the spring with the annual "wolf hunt". this is a spectator sport in the story and it almost sounds like professional golf, with the villages (women and children) all lined up at the sidelines to watch the men of the village net and impale a wolf as it comes running down the fairway. As all of this is happening Aalo start getting these psychic messages in her head asking her to "join the wolves in the swamp". obviously she finds this very distressing as well as physically overwhelming.
It is then that Aalo begins acting all-weird. She becomes sort-of morbid and superstitious. Then, finally, she does join the wolves.
I'll tell you more later...

wolf

birch trees

sketch of an old Estonian house

rough sketches of ideas for layout

So, here are some more really rough preliminary drawings that I've done.

thanks,
-Ben

in the beginning...

about four years ago, my wife and I were living in a small apartment in Minneapolis where she was a student in grad school and I was just working in a food service job that I wasn't terribly fond of. It wasn't the job so much, it was a good job, and I was working for a very good company. It was me. I was the problem. I'd always seen myself as a more creative person. Arty stuff. That's the kind of stuff I'm good at, and generally, that is where my passions will be most  active and my talents best utilized. Not a lot was asked of my creative-arty abilities in my food service job, so, I often felt as though that part of my personality was atrophying. To combat this, I'd invent projects that I could do by myself. they all started off with the best of intentions, but ultimately they all suffered the same fate.  The initial inception of the idea was all fireworks and fanfare but as the days dragged on, the novelty wore off and the ideas were dropped by the wayside.
One such idea came from a compilation book of Finnish Fairy tales. The book contained chapters 4 through 8 of a 1928 Estonian fairytale called "Wolf Bride" by Aino Kallas. I wanted to interpret them into illustrated format.
Didn't happen.
Flash forward, I'm am now an Art and English major at the University of Minnesota and I've been given an opportunity to work independently on a project of my own choosing and immediately... I thought of nothing. I honestly did not know what to do with such an opportunity. So, I met with my professor and told her the situation, and through a process brain storming, we decided that I'd give "Wolf Bride" another go. And that's when she suggested... A Blog.
Over the next few months I will be posting images and notes on the creation of the work. Not a lot to show right now, just a few sketches.  This is the first blog I've ever done, I hope some of you will find it interesting. 

sketchbook entry / Aalo / "for the devil is a potter and his witches are but clay"

Aalo

Priidik the Woodsman

wolf sketch

thanks.
-Ben