Hansel and Gretel
This is a working colour illustration for ‘Hansel and Gretel’, based around this piece of text: ‘It was now three mornings since they had left their father’s house. They began to walk again, but they always got deeper into the forest, and if help did not come soon, they must die of hunger and weariness. When it was mid-day, they saw a beautiful snow-white bird sitting on a bough, which sang so delightfully that they stood still and listened to it. And when it had finished its song, it spread its wings and flew away before them, and they followed it until they reached a little house, on the roof of which it alighted; and when they came quite up to the little house they saw that it was built of bread and covered with cakes, but that the windows were of clear sugar.’ My strangely proportioned candy and cake roof suspension of disbelief, as does the story. In an attempt to break away from the traditional Black Forest cottage look, I’ve gone a bit oversized on the roof, which inspired by the giant roof shape of the iron age round house, peculiar to Britain. I may need to rethink the orangey gingerbread - not the easiest tone to scan, however it’s back to the drawing board for now.
