The Artist's story
The Artist's story
In 2006 a friend of mine, Christopher Drake, put me in touch with Ajahn Thanuttaro Bhikkhu (AT) saying that something told him the connection might lead to interesting things.
Too right!
Christopher had taught me many years ago how to rehabilitate my breathing using the principles discovered by Professor Buteyko and had recently had AT sign up as a student.
Shortly after I met AT we got to talking about the book of stories he was writing and mentioned the possibility of doing a few small cartoon type illustrations. Would I be interested?
Slightly wary of getting into something which I might regret, I agreed to read the current draft of the book he was working on and let him know if I felt up to doing some pictures.
The decision was made before I got to the end of the book. The stories were just crying out to be illustrated. I could immediately see the potential for developing visual imagery and symbolism to accompany the text. The problem was going to be selecting from the profusion of options which were clamoring for attention.
I also quickly concluded that the book demanded something a bit more than jokey cartoon type illustrations. If they were going to properly complement the book, they needed to go a bit deeper. This would require a careful reading of the text to understand the underlying messages. But at this early stage all I had was a strong view of the kind of feeling the pictures should evoke. The actual pictures would take a while to emerge.
Another reason for plunging into this project was its timing. I had just retired from 33 years working in government Export Credit Insurance and was looking for ways for kick starting a career as an artist I had put “on hold” when I left school in 1967. Back then, I even got as far as going for an interview at the Central School of Art in London, but in the end, I opted for the “safer” option of university and a regular career, to pay the bills. As a result, I eventually ended up in the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) in 1972 where I happily spent the next 33 years. I cannot remember a time when I didn’t have a compulsion to draw and paint. Even at work I gradually developed ways to use pictures, and humour, to help communicate complex issues and resolve management problems. Eventually many of these illustrations and cartoons were compiled in a book I published in 2006 (Drawing ECGD).
In 2006 a friend of mine, Christopher Drake, put me in touch with Ajahn Thanuttaro Bhikkhu (AT) saying that something told him the connection might lead to interesting things.
Too right!
Christopher had taught me many years ago how to rehabilitate my breathing using the principles discovered by Professor Buteyko and had recently had AT sign up as a student.
Shortly after I met AT we got to talking about the book of stories he was writing and mentioned the possibility of doing a few small cartoon type illustrations. Would I be interested?
Slightly wary of getting into something which I might regret, I agreed to read the current draft of the book he was working on and let him know if I felt up to doing some pictures.
The decision was made before I got to the end of the book. The stories were just crying out to be illustrated. I could immediately see the potential for developing visual imagery and symbolism to accompany the text. The problem was going to be selecting from the profusion of options which were clamoring for attention.
I also quickly concluded that the book demanded something a bit more than jokey cartoon type illustrations. If they were going to properly complement the book, they needed to go a bit deeper. This would require a careful reading of the text to understand the underlying messages. But at this early stage all I had was a strong view of the kind of feeling the pictures should evoke. The actual pictures would take a while to emerge.
Another reason for plunging into this project was its timing. I had just retired from 33 years working in government Export Credit Insurance and was looking for ways for kick starting a career as an artist I had put “on hold” when I left school in 1967. Back then, I even got as far as going for an interview at the Central School of Art in London, but in the end, I opted for the “safer” option of university and a regular career, to pay the bills. As a result, I eventually ended up in the Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) in 1972 where I happily spent the next 33 years. I cannot remember a time when I didn’t have a compulsion to draw and paint. Even at work I gradually developed ways to use pictures, and humour, to help communicate complex issues and resolve management problems. Eventually many of these illustrations and cartoons were compiled in a book I published in 2006 (Drawing ECGD).
Civil Service Hierarchy 1973: At the time, I was the guy just above the secretary at the bottom.
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When Undo turns to Nodo, a recent cartoon about the frustrations of a traditional artist going digital.
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Keeping up and developing my drawing skills nurtured the idea that once released from my day job I would finally be able do what I had put off for so many years. So, when AT asked whether I was interested, the seed fell on ground that had been turned over and well prepared!
I also judged that I would get on well with AT. We seemed to have a similar sense of humour and I guessed, fortunately correctly, that I would be given complete artistic freedom to come up with whatever I felt appropriate and comfortable with. I also reckoned that by the time I got to the end of the project I would have gained some insight into what Buddhism is all about. I had some vague notions, but in truth I hadn’t a clue and was curious to learn more.
I followed the same process for all the pictures. I read the chapter, tried to understand the key messages in it, and then thought about an illustration which would capture one or more of the key points. I then drew many pencil sketches until I was satisfied that the picture was hitting the right note, had drama and interest. Once I was happy with the pencil drawing, checking back with AT that this was hitting the spot, I added digital colour, mainly using Corel Painter. The final stage was to produce a number of different versions with slightly different tonal and colour balance and let AT choose the one he liked best.
All in all the decision was easy. I had the time, I would get to draw a Preta Ghost, steam engines, troubled minds, a seductress on a heath, saints and sinners, and much more, all set in the English countryside: in short a relatively newly minted, local, English countryside version of an ancient tradition.
The process I followed was quickly established. AT helpfully provided a load of photographs and other background material which enabled me to concentrate on conjuring up the ideas and translating them into pictures. AT had also listed for each chapter possible alternative scenarios for illustration. This was really helpful as it pointed me in the right direction. Sometimes AT’s suggestions were so spot on that I used it with little alteration. At other times I came up with a completely different take. To my initial surprise, when I felt I might be going off at a tangent, or taking too many liberties with the imagery, AT just egged me on all the more!
Victor Lunn-Rockliffe
I also judged that I would get on well with AT. We seemed to have a similar sense of humour and I guessed, fortunately correctly, that I would be given complete artistic freedom to come up with whatever I felt appropriate and comfortable with. I also reckoned that by the time I got to the end of the project I would have gained some insight into what Buddhism is all about. I had some vague notions, but in truth I hadn’t a clue and was curious to learn more.
I followed the same process for all the pictures. I read the chapter, tried to understand the key messages in it, and then thought about an illustration which would capture one or more of the key points. I then drew many pencil sketches until I was satisfied that the picture was hitting the right note, had drama and interest. Once I was happy with the pencil drawing, checking back with AT that this was hitting the spot, I added digital colour, mainly using Corel Painter. The final stage was to produce a number of different versions with slightly different tonal and colour balance and let AT choose the one he liked best.
All in all the decision was easy. I had the time, I would get to draw a Preta Ghost, steam engines, troubled minds, a seductress on a heath, saints and sinners, and much more, all set in the English countryside: in short a relatively newly minted, local, English countryside version of an ancient tradition.
The process I followed was quickly established. AT helpfully provided a load of photographs and other background material which enabled me to concentrate on conjuring up the ideas and translating them into pictures. AT had also listed for each chapter possible alternative scenarios for illustration. This was really helpful as it pointed me in the right direction. Sometimes AT’s suggestions were so spot on that I used it with little alteration. At other times I came up with a completely different take. To my initial surprise, when I felt I might be going off at a tangent, or taking too many liberties with the imagery, AT just egged me on all the more!
Victor Lunn-Rockliffe
