An Exquisite Lockdown
I’m delighted to be taking part in the Illustrators Ireland 2020 / 2021 group exhibition, where we have teamed up with a cohort of illustrators from France to create a GIANT Exquisite Confinement Corpse. We are each tasked with creating portraits of our ‘confinement family,' which is to be drawn/painted on to a huge 1m tall canvas of our choice. These canvases will then be all stitched together to form one giant Exquisite Corpse.
The general public are also encouraged to take part, and have their artwork included within the exhibition. We’re looking for artwork based on nature and wildlife, such as birds, flowers, mushrooms, plants, insects, squirrels, or anything from nature that you love. These elements will then be stuck onto each portrait. Send in your artwork on A6 sized paper/a postcard, and make it as bright and colourful as possible! More details can be found here. Please send to:
The Lab, Dublin City Arts Office, c/o Illustrators Ireland, 1 Foley Street,
Mountjoy, Dublin 1 D01 WA07
Feel free to post your lovely artworks on social media and use our official #illustratorsireland tag so we can see them. Read below to see how I created my exquisite portrait…
My initial sketch was created on my iPad. Inspired by the Surrealist and Dada artistic movements for which the 'exquisite corpse’ originated, I decided to portray my confinement family in a more unusual manner. The garden has become a real oasis during the lockdown; it is a welcome distraction and place of solace and inspiration. We’re using the garden more during lockdown, and so, I have portrayed us as ‘part’ of the garden. My parents are depicted as lovable gnomes, while I dance happily, hugging my bemused cat Billie - absorbed by the excitement of being outside.
I then printed my sketch using nine A4 pages, and taped them back together to fit on my 1m tall canvas. My canvas is kraft wrapping paper that I usually use for my wholesale orders, and it was the only paper I had to hand that was large enough!
I made my own carbon paper to trace the sketch onto the wrapping paper. I used a 6B pencil for the carbon coverage, and then a harder HB pencil to trace over the image. This leaves a good impression.
Unfortunately the paper was too thin for paint, so I decided to run with the lockdown theme, and use only one medium (polychromo pencils) and limit my colour palette also.
I printed out a small page of my original sketch to use as a reference while out in the garden.
Billie the cat….she never really understands me!
Yes my Dad is now a gnome…a contemplative gnome who fishes while perched on a mushroom…
My Mom is also a gnome, and hard at work planting more plants for the garden.
And here is the finished piece! Apologies for the camera quality, I have an old iPhone and it randomly updated the sofware, and lo and behold the camera quality has diminished….hmmm….
Anyway, hope you enjoyed the little insight into my process for this 2020 Lockdown piece. Please do join in and draw some lovely nature elements - have fun! ~ Rachel x