Saturday, September 11, 2010

MOBY-DICK, Page 372

Title: The compact martial columns in which they had been hitherto rapidly and steadily swimming, were now broken up in one measureless rout; and like King Porus' elephants in the Indian battle with Alexander, they seemed going mad with consternation. In all directions expanding in vast irregular circles, and aimlessly swimming hither and thither, by their short thick spoutings, they plainly betrayed their distraction of panic.

7 inches by 10.25 inches
acrylic paint and ink on found paper
September 9, 2010


  1. Fabulous juxtaposition with the paper, and I just love those eyes!
    And the colours.

  2. Thank you Hannah. I did 2 or 3 sets of identical eyes and started to worry. It was a bit dull. So I just started drawing the eyes all sorts of different ways, from eyes inspired by that old cartoon "The Herculoids" to more anatomically correct irises to octopus-like slits. I think the eyes really make it though. The image wouldn't be much without them.

  3. Titus, this paper was indeed a blast to work with. This illustration is from the chapter entitled "The Grand Armada" and although that refers to the whales and not a group of ships, I like how it calls to mind many things. I, too, was especially fond of these shapes and colors, so in what is I think a first, I continued many of these ideas in the very next illustration.

  4. Absolutely Steve. I've sometimes compared it to running down the tracks in front of a train (because that's how it feels - there is never even a minute of rest) but at times the drive to keep going on this becomes a kind of obsession. I am over 2/3 of the way completed with the 552 pieces I'll make for this, and that accomplishment alone keeps me going sometimes.

  5. i like this cartoonish incursion/reprieve
    forward on!

  6. Lizzy, somehow I got these whales in my head and couldn't shake them. They've now shown up in three and half of the last four pages. It's so strange.

