painterly/ atmospheric

Mary Barton is adapted from the classical novel by Elizabeth Gaskill. This production set in the1840’s is centred around working class characters in Manchester society. I have chosen to render the designs for this production in a painterly/ atmospheric style to reflect the moody, period feel of the piece. Designers with such artistry such as David Collis use a beautiful combination of tone and shadow to create mood evoking designs. International award winning costume designer, Ann Roth, also adopts a mood capturing approach. Though not as detailed as David Collis, Roth’s scribbled lines, and suggestive marks suggest a great sense of atmosphere. Though traditionally considered that this style of rendering could only be achieved by hand rendered methods more designers are creating effective results using the computers. Nic Ularu who uses a combination of computer and hand techniques points out ‘To preserve the “handmade” feeling of rendering, I normally print on paper with texture and thickness, such as watercolor or drawing paper’ (Ularu 1999). Other designers such as Betty Poindexter and Martin Morley also create their painterly style with the aid of computers. I hope by choosing this style of rendering I will be able to push my hand drawing and technical skills by combing both traditional and digital methods.