From Codex to Penny Dreadfuls: A Crash Course in Literary Mass Proliferation Rationale

So as usual, I wanted to go a little overboard on this spread at the start. However, Judy’s much appreciated voice of moderation helped me realize how excessive my first draft was. I distilled it down to the initial idea of something close to an infograph, but while working on composition drafts I wanted to find a way to make it a little more compelling, using the research from my peers to create a narrative the reader could follow.

 

Thus, this spread took shape! I wanted a natural flow around the page, guiding the eye of the reader almost in the way a comic book would. I had a few hiccups trying a new medium for the first time, but I’m pretty happy with the way the colours and characters took shape. I don’t do people very often, so I was pretty happy with how they turned out as well. Learned a lot stepping out of my comfort zone for this one! Also, once again I found how horrifically difficult consistent hand lettering is, so I’m really itching to get better at that. I took the research highlights from my group and tried to incorporate the best of all of them without overwhelming the page; it still might be a little cramped, but I hope it helped flesh out the narrative. The spot up near the monk is definitely a little too busy, I would have tried something else there had I the luxury of more time.