So Very Dark

I don’t know why, but my walk home today thrashed me.  It seemed especially cold today — it’s only 26 or so, but even through my jeans, my legs were freezing.  I don’t know, perhaps it hasn’t been this cold for my walk home before–last Thursday everything was covered in the previous day’s snow, and the week before it was raining ice, but temperatures could have been in low- to mid-30s, regardless.  Last week I wore a poofy skirt and leggings, and did not have to experience a thawing process like I am today.

Anyway, we got assigned our new project in Concept Development today — it’s our final, and it’s totally open, which, in a way makes it a lot harder.   I have about 4 weeks to work on it overall and can do pretty much anything graphic design related.  I’m supposed to bring in about 10 ideas and some thumbnail sketches next week.  I have a few, and would love feedback, and also further suggestions.

Some ideas I have so far:

Illustrate one of two poems I have written in a picture-book/children’s story fashion.  One is about a circus bear who gets tired of his shoddy treatment and goes on a rampage (lends itself very well to the style), and the other is about…well, hopeless lost youth, I suppose.  The second might be less ‘children’s book’ style illustrated.

Cute weather series — adorable chibi girls experiencing adorable forms of weather — raining cats and dogs, snowing fluffy bunnies (something like THIS, but…you know…better) …playing up very much the super cute, over the top saccharine Japanese cute style.  My main worry with this idea is that it is TOO simple, not making a great final project.

Architects of the seasons series –  Very different from the ‘cute weather’ idea, this would be in a much more classic, post-Raphelite inspired fashion…I had an idea this past autumn for a woman making autumn by going around with a pot of paint tied to her belt and painting the leaves.  To expand on that, I discovered since moving here that when snow falls (especially at night near a light source) it sparkles like glitter.  I had never known that…it makes sense, though.  For winter I would have a woman up on a cloud or the steeple of a tall church or something, blowing silver glitter snow down on the world…I have a few ideas for the other two seasons but they aren’t quite formed.

Circus Assassins — With my ‘The Assassin‘ picture, I was playing with giving one of the girls from my Cirque De Muerte a chance to show off her skills, and be more than just part of a group shot.  I liked these characters and had a lot of fun with them.  Since ‘Zombies Need Love Too‘ is the comic that got turned in, I never got to use my assassin picture for class, which I thought was too bad, since I had a bit of fun with it.  So I was thinking that it might be fun to make one of these for each of my circus characters — just a 4 panel strip, no words, black and white, showing them in a short sequence of events.  The two main drawbacks to this project are — 1) I wouldn’t get to use color…I’ve only had one color-friendly project in this class so far and I miss it a little.  2) that’s a LOT of characters…it would be a bit of a job of work.

Any other ideas?  I would love some more suggestions, as long as they do not involve multiple paintings of Brendan on a motorcycle from different angles, draped in various scantily clad and attractive women.