This collection of work is my way of truly experimenting with elements of graphic design and digital art, and the overarching theme of this collection, experimentation and nostalgia, is meant to highlight that. In my art style, I take inspiration from vintage art from the 18th and 19th centuries, specifically the poster art. I have always been drawn to the vintage style of art - as a kid growing up in the heart of Chicago, the museums were my favorite. I would always be reading the plaques and information about what was on display. The vintage pieces of art always took my breath away, and this art show was the best opportunity yet to create art reminiscent of the style I loved so much as a child.
As for the art that’s on display here, my collection has a “storyline” that is hinted at throughout the pieces, which is as follows.
In the 1920s, the mysterious collective known as “The Children of Frankenstein” was slowly making its way into the mainstream media, thanks to a small-time birdwatching magazine titled “The Roost”. The Children of Frankenstein were an elusive collective of people who were experimented on by a downright evil collection of higher-ups. People who had nothing better to do, who thought they had nothing going for them in life, saw an ad in the newspaper for an opportunity to get back on their feet and gain a community of others who were like them. The higher-ups took full advantage of this and performed horrendous and inhumane experiments on these poor souls; ideas from a sick mind were allowed to take form. As The Roost gained more notoriety, they continued to investigate this mysterious group and report back in a dedicated section of each issue. These pieces are meant to follow this storyline and play on the sensationalist nature of magazines and media in the 18th and 19th centuries. I do hope you enjoy these works of art I created. Thanks!
The Roost, Edition No. 1: "Great Blue Mystery" Procreate, Canva 16 x 20 The first edition of The Roost featured a Great Blue Heron flourishing its wing as the focus of the cover. The addition of a dismembered talon of a Great Blue Heron was an interesting addition- it was added as a nod to the next issue.
The Roost, Edition No. 2: "Hands of the Heron" Procreate, Canva 16 x 20 This is the second edition of The Roost. It features a portrait of a one "Ruby 'Cochineal' Samson." She has her hand raised as if to show it off- but instead of a graceful, elegant hand, it's the gnarled talon of a Great Blue Heron. It seems like it was haphazardly attached. Was this the doing of Ruby herself, or was this the result of a surgery gone wrong?
The Roost, Edition No. 3: "Dee-Dee-Dee" Procreate, Canva 16 x 20 The third edition of The Roost goes back to a more normal birding magazine. The featured feathered friend of this issue is a Chickadee, a bird known to mimic other bird calls. New to this issue is a gossip column named "Word on the Tweet". In said gossip column, there were rumblings of a mysterious group of outcasts that were tied to the star of the previous issue, Ruby.
The Roost, Edition No. 4: "Scheele's Green and Chickadees" Procreate, Canva 16 x 20 The 4th edition of The Roost has a striking cover: Shelly "Scheele" Ross is featured on the front page, and in an exclusive interview with The Roost, she remarked that she is unable to remove the enormous mask on her head- one that closely resembles a chickadee. The interviewer noted that, while it did appear as a mask, the beak moved almost as if it were her actual mouth.
The Roost, Edition No. 5: "Aquatic Edition" Procreate, Canva 16 x 20 Taking a break from the normal chirps and chatter, this issue of The Roost features some of the reader's favorite aquatic creatures. The cover artist's personal favorite is the Cuttlefish, which is why it is featured front and center. The group of misfits has a name now: Frankenstein's Children. It's been established that the group is a collective that has been taken advantage of by an evil, yet unknown organization- one that took advantage of these poor souls at their lowest points.
The Roost, Edition No. 6: "Izzy Ingersoll" Procreate, Canva 16 x 20 The last recovered issue of The Roost features Izzy Ingersoll: A budding starlet who was mutilated by the same unknown corporation that did the same to Shelly Ross and Ruby Samson. Because of that, she now has hair-like tentacles sprouting from her face- meant to mimic the tentacles of an octopus, or squid. An investigation looking into the unnamed corporation was covered in this issue; not much else is known, however.
The Roost, Edition No. 1: "Great Blue Mystery” (Alternate Cover) Procreate, Canva 16 x 20 As mentioned in the title, this is an alternative cover of the first edition of The Roost. According to multiple sources, it was the top candidate for the final cover until the lead publisher highly recommended what became the final choice.