Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Wednesday WIP: Water Witch!

Halloween has me in a witchity mood! Plus I like drawing pointy hats (anyone know why witches wear pointy hats? Or why we think of witches in pointy hats?).

I wanted to have a water scene, and thought of the old dunking-stool. You know, the daft idea that people could separate the witchity from the foolish by dumping them in water, and seeing if they floated.

There seems to have been some disagreement on whether it was floating that meant innocence, or sinking, but my main quibble (well, aside from the horrible idea of drowning people because you don't like their personal practices) is this: You have in your grasp someone believed to have supernatural powers. Someone who, by your own reckoning, can fly, control the elements, and turn into animals.

And you think a puddle is going to ruin their day?!?

I don't *think* so. As a quick sketch in Painter illustrates (fine point pen tool, for those who really care).


I intend this to be a full-color piece, but color needs planning as much as basic composition. Heck, color is composition! I know I want this to be a light, maybe incongruously sunny piece-- something to offset all the gloom and doom or intolerance and panic that attended witch trials.

Also I like green and blue. So a few quick strokes to lay out the basic color scheme:


You can see I also added some background details-- a few fish, some fronds, the edges of what would be a pier if I'd drawn it in first. I like the idea of the witch being serene and untroubled in her bubble, while all kinds of visual noise swirls around. I'll see how much of that I can keep as I work!

What are you working on? Brag in the comments!

6 comments:

thehauntedstudiounderthestairs said...

clever, clever, clever idea!

k

Carapace said...

I'll choose to take that as a comliment! Since I'm really not sure how else I could take it...

Thanks!

Cara

mermaiden said...

I know this is all about ME. Of course it is, right?
;P

And you must know that I have plenty to say about the pointy hat thing.
Here:
http://mermaidencreations.blogspot.com/2009/05/wherefore-art-thou-o-witch-hat.html

Carapace said...

Merms- of COURSE it's about you. I had to fight to keep from titling it "Mermaiden, Get Over Here and Comment", because I knew you'd have a link. I'll have to edit it into the post today!

Laume said...

I don't know what the historical background is on witches and pointy hats (although Welsh folk garb seems to have jumped on the band wagon...er, broom? as well) but I like Terry Pratchett's explanation. It's all about "headology". Witches wear the hat so other people know they're witches and jump to the proper stereotypes. This works for me but I wonder what it means when i wear my tea pot shaped hat?

mermaiden said...

Why Laume that makes you a POT HEAD, of course ;]