NEW NIKAHRAT! (POINT 3)

This is the the final sketch for my Nikahrat character!

This sketch also depicts the height differences between the Nikahrat, humans and the newborn Nikahrat.

This is very important as I have made some rather distinctive changes to Nikahrat that affect the other characters.

The main force behind this was from the word "poetic". The whole idea of an illustration is to convey words and meaning. Because all of my book's illustrations accompany my poem, details within the design of characters have to be dealt with carefully to enhance the mood of the poem, make connotations more sympathetic and reflect my original want to create this piece in a more delicate way for the audience to interpret.

1. HEIGHT:

The exaggerated height differences between the sets of characters is meant to be puzzling.

Usually, if someone tall is moving about in a crowd, it it easy to notice them. However, Nikahrat seems to be so tall that the humans she walks among do not seem to stretch themselves to find her. The thought of her size, and possibly presence, scares them as do many uncommon or complicated subjects do.

The baby Nikahrat is below human height, probably about the average height of a human child. This connotes the idea that adults ignore children to an extent. In the human world where the Nikahrat resides, there are no human children. This is because everyone is expected to grow up and learn as soon as they can. Humans need to compete with each other by becoming smarter, showing more maturity, boasting about life experiences. 

The freedom and ideologies of childhood are lost both in the morals of humans and the Nikahrat's role because as soon as the Nikahrat baby is born, it has to start coping with troubles and enduring pain that no normal child does or should experience.

2. FEATHER SHAWL:

Although I carried out a lot of thought into clothing Nikahrat, I have decided not to go into so much intricacy and detail. I think the character as it is now conveys a lot stronger emotions, mystery and shock than some of my weaker experiments would.

Because the Nikahrat story does follow along the lines of a possible piece of folklore, I used a piece of personal 'folklore' to explain the feather shawl.

My mother, at times, can be rather superstitious. One of her most prominent superstitions is associated to seeing white feathers. She says that if you find white feathers indoors, or in odd and hard to explain places, it means that someone who has passed away is thinking of you. This is a very peaceful, relieving and respectful belief and I have tried to delicately honour this. The idea is that as the Nikahrat moves along, feathers fall and drop as it walks, showing that she cares even though humans cannot see her.

However, it appears to be part of the Nikahrat's anatomy, showing that this love and care is a part of her purpose, not just a face she puts up like most humans do. This is why the baby Nikahrat only has a few feathers because the more turmoil and sadness she witnesses, the more she learns and the more she wants to help and selflessly care.

3. 'RIBCAGE' CHEST MOTIF:

This idea formed in the very first sketch of Nikahrat. At that time, it meant nothing apart from showing a nod to being inspired by Mexican 'Dia de los Muertos' art. I have enjoyed 'Day of the Dead' art for many years as it balances handmade crafts and joy with the sombre realisations of death and mortality.

Jose Guadalupe Posada's print of 'La Calavera Catrina' (1910)

This comes through Nikahrat too. It is clear to see there is death scarring her life but she makes no deal of it and, instead, wears it but a mere symbol of her love and duties to help humans.

It wasn't until I experimented with screen print that I realised how interesting this idea could be.

'Rib' detail on screen printed Nikahrats.

Although this pattern is too ornate, the white spaces gave me the idea that perhaps they are not just decoration on her skin, but holes in her chest! With the screen print, the colours didn't really work as the Nikahrat's simple organ network was supposed to show through and, unfortunately, the heart space looks like a paint blob.
However, after redrawing from the final sketch, I was able to convey the same thing in a much clearer way.

Done with watered ink and gouache.

Here, it is much easier to see the contrast between the Nikahrat's (to be confirmed) pale exterior and her dark, hollow interior. No vital organs appear visible, raising the question of how it is possible for her to survive. The heart (which the only organ in her body except her womb) seems to be so exposed through the ribs and it can even be seen through her thin, fragile skin too.
I want to experiment with this further, however, to really emphasise the hollowness of her body and the glow of her heart.

4. HEART:
Because the Nikahrat is a very selfless and loving character, she leaves her heart exposed for all to see. The problem with this, however, is that it is easier for people to hurt it or even steal it.
Taking this idea, I altered the Nikahrat's heart so that it still represented a strong powerful emotion, yet gave more mystery to her existence.

Page from sketchbook.

I chose to go with an object similar to a crystal or cut precious stone. This is supposed to signify many things, especially revolving around humans desire for such objects. Humans rarely value the process of how these crystals and stones are naturally made: instead, they only care for their currency value and what that brings to one's image and status.

However, they seem to respected more within families. Jewellery or stones can be held in families as heirlooms, the prize for any family member to be entrusted with. Though most heirlooms are treated with respect, they can cause distress and upsets in greedy family circles. This is the case with the Nikahrat as the baby adds to the disrespect and spitefulness as it is being born by pulling the Nikahrat's heart with it, killing Nikahrat.


With all these new connotations added and explained, I am really happy with my final Nikahrat character and I am more confident in continuing smoothly with the progress of my final major project.