This multi-part series of Illustrator works was my final project for the UCLA studio class, Drawing and Color. The final project was to create three objects out of everyday items which would be used in a ritual of some kind.
My idea was a fictional Australian ritual in which a child is chosen to have the power to transform into a kookaburra. I strived to choose items that are made to fly or be suspended in the air to align the the abilities of a bird.
In order for the ritual to occur, the town's adults wear Kookaburra masks made of clothing pins, and walk the children to the ritual site. The children then sit in a circle of toys made of string lights: a Kookaburra toy, a sling-shot, and a boomerang. Lastly, a sculpture of paper airplanes is lit on fire to summon the great Kookaburra. Once the bird is summoned, is looks among the children, and flies to and lands on the head of the child which will be granted the shape-shifting powers.
This final project consisted of three series and one stand-alone poster, each with their own rules and restrictions to illuminate how the ritual looked and worked.
12 Piece Grid
For the pieces above, the assignment was to create three gridded posters with 12 symbol each, to show the three ritual objects in different styles. The first and fourth line's requirements were to create symbols using a black stroke and a white fill and vise-versa. The second line required symbols with a black stroke and no fill. The third line's guidelines were to create the symbols in a grey scale.
In the first grid, each of the three styles of masks are shown.
In the second grid, each of the toys are displayed.
The third grid illuminates the step by step process of using the paper airplane sculpture.
Gridded Instructional Posters
In this poster series, the requirements were to create instructional posters for each item, again working with a grid.
For each poster, the top left image depicts the object itself, while the bottom right image depicts how the object is used. In order to name the objects, I researched the a few of the different types of aboriginal Australian languages to create make-shift terms for the objects. When it came to the "written" part of the instructions, I created a symbol, hieroglyphic-like language, in which the symbols mimic the legs and beaks of birds.
Ritual Illustartions
In these posters, the requirements were simply to illustrate how the ritual occurs. I researched traditional aboriginal body paint and incorporated the patterns and shapes into the characters' clothing along with the colors from the Gridded Instructional Posters.
Final Objects Poster
For this final poster, the assignment was to include every object into one piece. Inspired by the Australian Aboriginal Dot Painting style, I created a poster in which every object is depicted in different colored circles.