After the crit I set about trying to emulate the feel of Larkin. I used conte sticks for the first time. I like the monochromatic effect of just using the black stick, I suppose because it is reminiscent of the photography of Larkin's major era. The textures make everything hazy, kind of like a memory, which is sweet for poetry.
I'm struggling with the stamp ideas. I drew little motifs of Larkin's hometown but wasn't sure they represented them enough. On the other hand I drew a series of portraits titled "the four emotions of Philip Larkin".
I had decided that for the postcards and posters that I would look at Larkin as a writer- the creations he produced and the environment that influenced them, but I think this idea for the stamps might be a nice, more personal or at least more representational touch. And if these pieces are quite bleak I think this could add a touch of humour- which is important as Larkin himself, although known for being miserable, was also a witty (though sarcastic) man!
I experimented with paper cut outs a little bit. I purposely tried crude jaunty angles but I'm not sure such bright and bold shapes fit with the Larkin aesthetic. The final small test I did, the shape covered entirely in black brushstrokes was possibly the most fitting, as the brushstrokes muted the bright colour underneath. Also- the black marks remind me of smoke stained buildings, and it itself feels a little industrial.
For the postcards I have chosen to represent a poem per card. I considered representing one poem over the three but the truth was that I couldn't decide on one defining poem of Larkin! I chose three with different moods/ themes:
Aubade: observing death
High Windows: observing youth
Whitsun Weddings: observing love / family
And I thought some more about how Larkin is always an observer. I like the idea of him being present in each composition, but only as a small player in a larger world, as I think he felt he was.
I had two main ideas for these compositions. One was to include a window in each, with the viewer looking in/out of it, as an allude to Larkin as an observer. The other was to draw small scenes, but from far away/ above again, to suggest observation of a small world.
For the poster I wanted a quote from Larkin, to sum up my perception of him (and also- there would be more room on this image for more words!). One of the most common quotes from Larkin when searching on the internet was “What will survive of us is love.” which I find incredibly sappy and for me, not representational of a man so dry and yet preoccupied with death and misery.
For me Larkin's poetry is a quiet observation of the mundane. It is honest, as in, it is true to Larkin's feelings. And so I chose: "Nothing, like something, happens anywhere"
For me it sounded like a depressing title of a Richard Scarry children's book, so in a strange turn was inspired by Scarry to create some cut out illustrations- though much less busy and exciting than Busytown. I'd carry on the idea of distance/ observation by making everything really small.
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