practical development

I had fallen behind a lot with practical, but after I changed my direction I got more into my sketchbook work,  just playing around with shapes and textures. I initially started working out imagery for the setting - looking at key buildings in St Petersburg.

I'm pleased with how these worked out, I think the darkness of the cathedral in the background adds a sense of depth as well as an ominous presence. This setting would be for the beginning of the book, when Russia is still under the rule of the Tsar - royalty is the powerful force repressing the russian people. I think this is illustrated by the atmosphere surrounding the royal structure compared to the small, peasants housing. The simple, wonky shapes works well I think, makes it playful and reminds of the style of the Russian children's books

I took the book 'Inside the Rainbow' out of the library which is full of beautiful illustrations from 1920s-30s Russia, there are lots of geometric, constructivist style shapes but they have been made appealing to children by the use of textures and characters. Here's a few which inspired me for the setting of my book:

I love the simple use of shapes for the buildings, ail definitely develop on that aesthetic. Also there is one example of a concertina style book which might work quite well for my narrative as it is based on a timeline of events. I thought about maybe adding a map to the book, like the one in these examples, it could help give more of a understanding about which countered were fighting against who, and kids love maps.