SS1 – inspiration & idea

New school year, new project, new ideas.

This year it’s high time to describe my area of practice, in other words, something you’re good at and what, most likely, you’re planning to do in a real life. As new market requirements mention, employers nowadays expect from the potential workers to be flexible in a range of skills and, preferably, be experts in few subjects. Though, above description doesn’t fit the image of a graduation student, I was trying to broaden my specialization, believing it will help me in finding job in the future. That’s why I chose character design, illustration, comic book and concept art design for areas that I’m going to develop.

My first ideas for the SS1 project included designing the character and modeling it as a 3D figure afterwards. Thankfully, here came the change and after consultation with my tutor I gave up my intention of focusing on a CGI. This was the point I wasn’t sure about, at first I thought having skills as a designer and digital modeler would be quite sufficient pack of skills. But stronger arguments came and the truth was, I’m never going to be as good modeler as those who focus on CGI only. Beside, once spending time, trying to tame the software, I wouldn’t give enough attention to designing stage which is my main goal, described as area of practice.  That takes me back to the sentence “It’s better being good in one thing than abysmal in many subjects”. When my doubts confirmed, there were changes in project’s idea. Going with a flow of illustrating and storytelling, I decided to design a character, one of a kind, and create a short trailer introducing her adventures and personality. That action is a good start for comic book, animation or film. But first - the idea. 

  There were some influencing things, which inspired me and resulted in a new creation. First, quite random factor was a trailer of new Assassins Creed  game, with powder gun fights and ship battles. It consisted of some encouraging pieces from the game, which wakes up your curiosity.

That was intriguing but I had a chance to experience much stronger impression myself. For a month my brother, who’s a student of Maritime University, was taking part in a cruise at sailing ship and I had a chance to visit him and explore the ship. 

 

That trip released a bit of emotions, it’s also much stronger impression, experiencing  things by yourself.  That was a factor which pushed my imagination forward and made me create. 

Developing the idea

As my thoughts clouded around sailing, ships and traveling I started looking for the best background for my character’s story. I decided to look in encyclopedias, history and theme books. I did all my research during holidays so I had time for deep consideration of each aspect of the story.

My goal wasn’t just to set the time and era but also note some interesting facts which can also be used in my story.

It took me a while rummaging around thick books but gave a lot fun as well, I’ve always been interested in history. After a while I decided to stop in XVIII century  because trading back then was far enough developed and my character was to be involved  in sailing somehow.

Here are some paths of my research:

James Cook

1755 – (27years old) joins the navy

1768 – (40 years old) commander of expedition to Tahiti – 25^th August 1768

1779 – James Cook on Hawaii (trading with Hawaii was stopped because of too high prices established by Hawaiian)

1741 Georg Anson -  three ships of people dies of scurvy on Pacific Ocean

Ways of preventing diseases : concentrated orange, lemon juices ,malt extract,  bases for sups- salted meat, rusks, rum

1768 – knowledge how to compass the Cape Horn (best months are: December, January, no later then March)

New Netherlands – Australia

Van Diemen’s Land – Tasmania

1770 – George III – first king of United Kingdom of England and Ireland, mad king, lost US colonies

1730 – Schounbrunn finished

1709 – first piano was made

1746 – end of argument England – Scotland

Oppressing of Scotland after uprising( caused by uniting England and Scotland) no tartans allowed, no bagpipe playing

1714 – Russia conquests Finland

1716 – farming revolution

1717 – Lady Mary Wortley Montague established vaccination against smallpox in Turkey, male doctors ignorance against female knowledge

1718 – England, first machine gun

Austria – first porcelain created outside China

1720 – Gin very popular alcohol in England

1721 – first, constant mail connection between England and American colonies

1779 – England, first iron bridge

1720 – French rococo

1754 – start of building Winter Palace in Petersburg

XVIII century English homes with big windows – 1784 – window tax

1600 – creation of British East India Company

Trading goods:

West India : sugar, silver, rum, cacao, tobacco

East India: seasoning- cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, cloves, roots; tea, silk, cotton, ivory

Madras – main british harbor in India

Netherlands Company – Baltic transactions

Trading goods: grain, wood, ash

Transportation

Catherine the great – travels in sledges with horses

1710 – 3 colored print

1750 – improving conditions of roads in England, traveling in carriage(main vehicle), trip London – Scotland took about 10 days

British East India Company employed females in India to make cotton fabrics

Trade with China(politics of isolation): porcelain, silk, opium

Wolter (1694-1778)

1740 – small-pox epidemic

1751 – 1772 – Diderot’s encyclopedia

Madame Geoffrin – literary meetings

Africa trade: slaves

1752 – United Kingdom establishes Gregorian calendar

XVIII century – huge contrast poor and rich people

Rich: good manners, civilized behavior, elegant clothes, attractive entertainments, good music, health resorts, higher hygiene

1726 – Edinburgh, 1^st book rental place

1749 – Portuguese invents sign language

1735 – John Harrison, sea chronometer (describes exact position on sea)

1736 – France, first successful surgery of appendix

1774 – Switzerland, teacher funds orphanage

Smugglers : tobacco, alcohol, wine (trade during wars, without taxes)

Painting docks in Bristol

XVIII century rulers:

England- George III (1760)

Russia – Catherine the Great (1762)

Prussia – Frederic II

Austria – Marie Terese (1740 – 1780)

Italy – Bourbons (1748-1802)

Spain – Bourbons, Charles III (1759 – 1789)

France – Louis XV (up to 1774) and Maria Leczczyńska, Louis XVI (1774-1793)

 

I noted only most interesting facts which I could use in a graphic novel. My idea was to mix both: real world and a little bit of fiction. I found it pretty exciting to put my imagined characters together with a real historical figures. I made notes including some inventions, goods and historical objects so I could include them in the plot. After historical research, another inspirations came up to my mind, this time regarding the plot. Back in XVIII century there was a great, influential force – East India Company. It’s membership resulted in both: wealth and respect. Although, each country tried to get exclusiveness on  trade, there were some cases when they did a bit of cooperation. This multinational games gave me an idea to mix my characters origins. As England was most influential in India and possessed powerful company, I decided my character’s father is going to be East India Company member, in other words – the merchant.

Her mother on the other hand, yes it’s going to be woman character, her mother will be a Dutchwoman, from merchants family as well. Thanks to that I will combine influences in both countries. Most of the time of my character’s will be spend on a sailing ship, travelling with her father. More details about her personality can be found in next post.