Matisse cut out silhouettes

http://www.livingneighborhoods.org/pics/fifteen/matissebluenude.jpg

After looking at silhouettes on book covers i decided to look at matisse's cutout collages which contain the simplified shapes i'd like to manipulate in my own design.There is a certain amount of playfulness to his artwork which is elucidated by the random proportions used to generate the figures.
The piece above is very elongated which directs the eye upwards and i really like how outline has been generated by the segmentation of the shapes which elucidates the importance of the white. the curve of the leg is exceptionally disproportionate to the rest of the portrait but it directs the eye round this curve is somewhat mirrored by the arm giving the piece a sense of balance.

http://easybynature.files.wordpress.com/2010/07/icarus-matisse.jpg

'Icarus'- this piece is one of my favourites mostly because i love the primary colours used, the rich blue of the background really contrasts with the golden spiky shapes (possibly supposed to be feathers). again all of the figures appendages are disproportionate which integrates a playful element. i like the roughness to the silhouette which i think it makes the shape more interesting. i plan on using paper to create some of my designs in order to generate a similar effect.  

http://www.thecityreview.com/s02simp1q.gif

the red shape on the chest instantly reminds me of blood splatter which incorporates a real sense of movement and drama. i really like the left hand image, the curve of the back almost contains the figure within a circular shape which is broken by the line of the outer leg. this figure retains a lot of its proportionality in comparison to the right hand one. the separation of letters makes it harder to read the text but the cutout hand drawn style of font correlates with the rest of the piece. i much prefer the blue background in the piece above to this mint green which isn't a bold enough shade to match the boldness of the silhouettes.

Femme Fatale Rene Gruau

i knew that i wanted to focus my idea on the femme fatale aspect evident within the novel and i really liked the two female characters that fell strongly within this genre: Vivian and Carmen. because of this i plan to focus on a scene within the book which defines these dangerous, seductive and enticing qualities. before i can begin drawing however i wanted to look up some other representations of what could be considered a femme fatal. Rene Gruau's elegant painted ladies fall directly into this category.

In the painting above it is the portrayal of elegance which most interests me, there is a lot of emphasis placed on line which directs the eye down the frame to the rough edges of the skirt as it fades aways. its strangely fragile which is particularly reminiscent of Carmen's fragile mental state (which is in actuality the cause of all the trouble within the novel). the use of the bold black outline elucidates the soft curves of the figure and makes the character look more dramatic. in my own design i want to incorporate this elegance but i want to also make sure that the gritty genre of the 1930s detective novel is also portrayed which may be achieved through the use of silhouettes or a similar thick outline.


http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/news-features/TMG8079901/Rene-Gruau-a-new-look-at-the-influential-Dior-illustrator.html

This painting reminds me a lot of Vivian's character and the scene when she is playing roulette: 

"she wore a low cut dress of dull green velvet [...] the crowd closed and hid all but her head [...] i looked at Vivian's face it was taunt, pale, beautiful and wild. her lips were red and harsh".

i think that out of all of the female characters Vivian is by far the most elegant ( possibly because she has the ruthlessness associated with the Sternwoods). i love the lines apparent in the painting above, the smooth curve of the dress  once again draws the eye downwards, the manipulation of the red and black colour scheme generates contrast. red as a colour has connotations of seduction and blood which of course directly embodies the themes within the Big Sleep. the softer smoother textures in the painting simultaneously adds depth and helps to soften the rigid lines of the doorway, an aspect that i shall definitely take into consideration when creating my own design.

http://archdezart.com/2011/12/10/fashion-illustrations-rene-gruau/

This is the Rene Gruau piece that i think most embodies the femme fatal aspect, the red lipstick, the earring, the cigarette and even the shape of the hat as it cuts across the face are all qualities that embody the femme fatal character:

"her black hair was glossy under the robin hood hat"
"she puffed silently with her cigarette and considered me with steady black eyes"
"she was wearing a pair of long jade earrings and nothing else"
"her lips were red and harsh"

i love the how a silhouette has been manipulated to create the face, the white on black instigates drama, the incorporation of the red lips references the film noir genre, whilst the smoke tendril and the matching earring introduce a sense of balance within the print. its very simple but this simplicity retains the elegance of the previous pieces already researched.

http://www.renegruau.com/wp-content/gallery/kiss/cigarette.gif

this is one of my favourites mostly because i really liked the movement of the hair and the rough textural edges, the tendrils remind me a lot of Carmens wild "tawny" hair which is one of her defining characteristics  repeated throughout the book". the peach terracotta colour of the background introduces a warmth which would not have been created if Gruau had used his normal white black red combination.
the flower was another aspect of this piece that drew my attention, in terms of the big sleep i could use a similar face and replace the random flower with an orchid ( another consistent theme). there is a softness to this simple portrait an aspect that i should play around with when designing.



http://www.wornthrough.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/Diorling-René-Gruau-1963-Private-Collection-©-SARL-René-Gruau

The use of silhouettes in book covers

after researching some other book covers i noticed that silhouettes were used a lot within the covers that i found effective, since i knew that the cliche detective novels also manipulated silhoettes i wanted to explore this aspect to see if i could generate some effective designs incorporating them.

the font is what attracted me to the cover above, the various angles, colours  and letter sizes make it incredibly playful which contrasts against the  sorrowful pose of the female figure. the shape of the neck looks elegant and is elucidated by the black fill background. the central positioning of the figure and the bright colours used focuses the eye on the title although directionality is introduced via the curve of the shoulder and head. intergrating the text into the design ensures the focal point and adds a point of interest into the silhoette which otherwise would have been blank.

http://lexacatsbookcovers.blogspot.co.uk/2009/12/words-in-silhouette.html

i dont know why but there is something incredibly sinister about this cover ( i think that its just the white eye which looks mishapen within the face- i think its supposed be another face). the continuation of text draws the eye inwards and down the full length of the title, the swirly typography used coincides with the swirls in the hair and make the design look old fashioned which is futher stipulated by the boxed in name at the bottom of frame.

http://www.sewtara.com/wp-content/uploads/littlebee.jpg

cover redesigned by Laura Sharp

this cover is by far my favourite out of all of the silhouette book covers researched, i think its because the stark white background frames the tree which instigates the drama. the red heart at the centre of the tree emphasises the gothic element and matches the red of the title. the spread of the tree across the back cover intergrates a fluidity which stops the segmentation between the back and front cover which allows the whole cover to be seen as one big design. i really want to try and drag my design across the back cover as well in order to create a similar fluidity.
http://laurahsharp.com/?portfolio=edgar-allan-poe-book-cover-redesign













much like the edgar allen poe book above the back and front designs are joined together by the continuous silhouette, however unlike the Poe cover there is still as sense of segmentation because there is a symmetrical aspect. the tree branches direct the eye diagonally across the top of the cover highlighting the title, the font even matches the swirls of the tree. i really like the tree hole in the centre of the spine which makes the spine more interesting without breaking away from the design- having read the book the tree hole is in fact relevent to the story. when designing my cover i really want to make sure i reference the book without being cliche and i definatly want to use some of the subtler themes to achieve this.



http://inkymole.blogspot.co.uk/2010/07/if-i-could-illustrate-any-book-cover.html

















This cover is really clever the one section of red instantly provokes focus directing the eye horizontally across the cover. the delicate hints of detail give the two silhoettes a sense of depth whilst the positioning of the figures segment the cover in two, this balance is continued via the birds; i particularily like the reversal of the silhoette apparent on the dress the small points of black which help to create some more interesting shapes. the font choice is elegant and has a 'magical' theme which is obviously congruent with the story. if this book were on a shelf i would definatly pick it up, the use of the silhouettes suggest mysteriousness and it is the level of intricacy which i think makes it incredibly effective as a book cover.
http://littleshelf.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/stacking-shelves_23.html


















this cover has a very victorian steam punk feel to it and it is the busyness of the intricate silhoettes which initially attracted me to this cover. despite the level of intricacy the main silhouette shape is contained by the thick red border which helps to balance the sheer amount of design. there is a sense of symmetry which continues this balance and ensures that the title becomes the main focal point. the red intergrates a warmth but i think that the cover would have worked just as well on black. the swirls contrast against the straight columns which seem to frame the two female figures- this would possibly suggest that containment or imprisonment is a theme within the novel.
the level of detail is more congruent with the victorian era so when designing my cover i shall try to relate to the 1930s/1940s to ensure that my own design relates to the period that the book was written in.
http://katsbookmarked.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/book-review-somnambulist.html

Modern Book covers

since my book cover would have to appeal to a contemporary audience i decided to research some modern bestselling mystery novels to see how effective and eye catching there covers are i got all but the last book cover from the amazon best sellers list.

this design is incredibly simple, the predominatly black background is dramatic and the lack of motif forces the eye to the text which dominates the cover. although i dont think the font is interesting i do like the  larger spaces between the letters which  somehow seems to enunciate the drama ( again in keeping with the mystery/thriller genre). the colour scheme is once again reminiscient of  film noir something i will definatly take into consideration when designing. the white on the left hand side of the cover intergrates a sense of movement nad divides the frame vertically in two which directs the eye across the cover and along the text.

 

the colours in this cover are really effective the red instantly focuses the eye drawing the eye outwards from the text along the wavy line of cloth. the cloth provokes a  real sense of movement  intergrating a directionality which is aided by the darkened corners. the blurryness of the male figure  ( works much like a silhoette concealing the features enough to initiate mystery which is congruent with the genre). i think this design is a little too serious to take aspects from for my design but it has confirmed that i would like to introduce an element of playfulness into my own design.

out of all of the modern best sellers this is my least favourite cover- i think its because the title and author name take up too much of the frame. the black on white is boring and although the angle of the panther directs the eye to the title the whote cover looks too empty to be effectivly eyecatching and i definatly think that colour could have made it look more intresting.
http://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Books-Mystery-Thriller-Suspense/zgbs/books/18

i love this cover its probably my favourite so far out of all of the covers researched, it has a very retro feel about it i particularily like the purple tone used which focuses the eye. the text on the back is really unusual and i think that its a very ingenius way of presenting the title. the curved font of this text matches the vibrant tone and has a 60s style.because of the bright tones used the bare background offsets the figure and helps to elucidate the line of the shoulder. i think that this cover contains some clever intergrations ( the text curving round the figure and even the penguin logo in the 007) which i want to try and include in my own  cover.

http://dev.typophile.com/node/53664

after looking at some modern covers i want to look into covers that use silhoettes since i think that using silhoettes is going to fully reference the film noir/ 1940s mystery genre without me having to compromise on the moderninity.

 

 

Other Raymond Chandler book covers

after looking at book covers solely for the big sleep i also began researching other chandler book covers (since the same character of phillip marlowe is featured in each of them i figured that their covers would also convey the detective genre that is explored in the big sleep).

i love the font in the cover above its got a very playful element to it, the rough outline almost matches the ruggedness of the main character. simultaneously this cutout look is also stipulated by the jagged edges of the camera silhoette which ensures the overall continuity. the red black and white colour palette is very reminiscient of film noir genre which gives the design a classic feel. again its simplicity is what makes the cover so eyecatching which is something i will consider when designing my own.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikRMaDD7JnMuH_OjczjstvZPiVYb8viRdXgyFKFGgUQ-HLxMpWQpznyZEqb8nAN_rRyUszLV2c89pOpEBGCPI_E7X8VjKVncCgJR-p8lU-dq9K3ASnkIJZcNEDakAAWuAts7B7HtP9pX8N/s1600/KillerintheRain.jpg

this cover has a very hand drawn feel to it which is depicted through the shading and although i think the background is a little fussy i really like the macabre knife and yellow rose emblem which instantly draws focus and obviously symbolizes something within the story. i havent read this story but i know that it features the same detective in the big sleep so i know that it is a mystery novel, suprisingly this isnt conveyed through the cover art which gives the cover an origionality. although i think that this makes the design unusual, in my own design would prefer to reference the detective genre.although the font is very compact the background is too vibrant and overpowering to ensure clarity which is something else that i will consider in my own work.
http://www.raggedclaws.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/tom-adams_the-little-sister_ny-ballantine-1971_023978095.jpg

the blue of this cover is what initially attracted me to this design the mottled texture provokes contrast against the smooth  lines of the figure. the woman to my mind looks odd ( possibly because the face isnt complete) and the rest of the cover looks too bare in comparasion so i dont think that the cover is effective. i do like the positioning of the text the soft swirls obviously relating to the 'water-lake' aspect. the back also looks too formulaic so i plan to ensure that the back cover to my own design is just as eye catching as the front.

http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/private-eye?before=1305397710

 

The Big Sleep previous covers

i began by researching previous big sleep covers ( not all of them are from the 1930/40s era) but i wanted to see what other people had taken from the book and how they had translated aspects from the book graphically.
 First book cover by Rhys Morgan- graphic designer
The design abover is one of my favourite big sleep covers, i like the containment of the design the framing of the droplet elucidates shape which is futher enhanced by the monochrome colour scheme. the text is very reminicient of the art deco era which emulates the period of the novel. its simiplicity is what makes it visually effective- its uncomplicated and revolves around shape.
http://designatatrium.co.uk/designer_portfolio_project.asp?ID=219&PROJECT_ID=1825

 

i think that this design as a lot of potential i like the manipulation of silhoettes which once again emphasises shape and although the detective hat gun is a little cliche it is a fun modern interpretation. however i  greatly dislike the typography used which looks too much like bubble writing to be effective  and whilsti do like the clever intergration of the gun within the sleep the text itself does nothing to reference the novel. the black and yellow colour scheme provokes contrast and initiates drama but i dont like the reddish brown used on the back which detracts from the dark block front cover. when i begin designing i plan to introduce some more subtler aspects which reference the book without falling prey to the stereotypes.

 

http://www.behance.net/gallery/The-Big-Sleep-Book-Cover/3796685

the book cover above has a very art deco retro feel about it and i love the angularity present which gives an origionality to the cliche scence of the detective. the two colours keep the design simple and understandable and i really like how jaunty angles have been manipulated on the back to continue the 'square theme'.  the bold but thinner font fully displays the title simultaneously ensuring the designs continuity. however i think it would have been better to create a design that depicted a scene from the book in this style because although the detectives portrayal is unusual and effective the overall design doesnt fully emulate the novel.

http://www.behance.net/gallery/Book-Cover-design-The-Big-Sleep/5440223

This design promotes the femme fatal aspect within the book which hasnt been present in any of the other covers researched. because its a modern representation the shapes are very clean and theres a lot of manipulation of block fill colours which once again introduces a simplicity. the wisps of smoke directs the eye to the title, the font fits perfectly ito the design and the deco feel. the red of the blood is futher stipulated on the author name and contrasts with the blue of the shirt and skin. the blue intergrates a sense of mystery and helps to seperate the foreground figure from the predominatly black background. 
http://dansippleblog.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/big-sleep.html

out of all of the modern reinterpretations of the book cover this is by far my favourite, the cartoon style of the cover looks dramatic and i really like the textural shading evident within the background which frames the figure. red and greys keep the design simple and and help to segment the cover into 4 sections, the long continuous strip of red offsets the name directing the eye across to the back of the book and the red eyes which reference any one of the femme fatal characters within the novel. the comic book style has given the cliche detective pose an origionality the hand drawn style  references the covers in the 40s whilst the black outline initiates moderninity.

its interesting to see what other people have taken from the big sleep and i want to make sure i avoid the obvious cliches in my own design- i definatly think its key to create a cover based around a certain scene of character to really display what the book is about.



 

 

The Big Sleep initial themes and thoughts

so far im pretty settled on the big sleep as a book its a lot darker and more intresting than the wind and the willows and i would prefer to work with something thats less familiar in order to generate some more origional ideas.

some of the themes within The Big Sleep which should be considered when designing.

orchids ( seem to appear a lot within the book link to to death/ the cynical endings perspective)

cigerettes- part of the era/social norms smoke in particular might make a good design aspect

Rain- the weather seems to be synonmous with character Marlowes mood throughout the book. perhaps it is also a comment on the society- the city is being drowned in corruption ( corruption of the rich, the poor the police and even the female characters)

blackmail/gambling/ alcohol- emphasises the corrupt 'seedy city'. one of the main sisters Vivian plays roulette which could also make an intresting design.

femme fatal characters- all the women are apparently dangerous within this novel, they all attempt to use their own sexual power to manipulate Marlowe. and whilst Marlowe is attracted to all of them he does not allow himself to be seduced and even attempts to seduce one of the Sternwood sisters for information.

vivian- calculating/ clever and seemingly elegant contrast to carmen

Carmen - animalistic ( could make for some intresting visual aspects) this animilistic quality contained within her movements could symbolize  primal desire which the mystery revolves around, it could also highlight the theme of corruption which is instigated by this human desire. could be caused by drugs its not really clear if she as a character is crazy or if its something else. she also seems to be naked a lot througout the story which again links to her animal nature and the concept of primal desire.

Agnes- silver nails/ tough girl grifter

Silverwig/ Mrs Eddie Mars- curved, beautiful ruthless Marlowe takes a liking to her.

Out of all of the women Carmen appears more within the books and there are far more very striking events pertaining to her that would translate well visually. ( sitting in the chair in nothing but her jade earrings, pushing Brody into her room with a revolver, lying naked predatorially in Marlowes bed etc)

 the police/ the gangsters-  by assosciation guns,footprints and body marks

the car being dragged out of the pier- a chapter in the book which stands out in my head and would make something visually striking (possible backdrop).

chess is referenced once but it relates well to the story as a whole the mystery itself is a clever and brutal game;
"this was not a game for knights" a cynical reference to the morality of various characters. the embodiment of morality marlowe who ironically enough is the only 'knight' within the novel.

poison- the poison of the blood which is elucidated through the Sternwoods, and the literal poison of cyanide which kills of one of the characters.

dead birds- in relation to snitches.

definate theme of madness- most of the women within the story are somewhat crazy and this theme of madness appears to be synonymous with sex ( the concept of human desire being primal and destructive is further stipulated by this).

im not entirely sure what im going to work with but there are a lot of themes within the book and i would like to try and find something that embodies the world of the story without being cliche and unorigional. smaller aspects ( like the orchid or the jade earrings) could be placed on the spine or used without being overpowering.