Pencil Watercolour
W
hen Netf lix
reached out to me
to suggest working
on this fantastic
project for its
Amsterdam headquarters, I couldn’t
believe it. I was given full artistic
freedom to create 25 murals based on
Netf lix Original series and films,
with one condition: all heroes and
iconic imagery should be
recognisable with unique
personalities and dramatic interest.
The finished artworks are presented
as large tiles in the Delft Blue style.
This is a traditional Dutch tin-glazed
earthenware, a form of faience
famous for its cobalt blue colours.
Inspired by the 17th century
Delftware installation in Amsterdam’s
Rijksmuseum, the tiles are mounted
on the deep blue wall, hinting at the
traditional Royal palace decorations.
In this workshop, we’ll explore this
fascinating technique and learn how
to create impressive and dramaticartwork using only one colour. We’ll
create a painting based on the Netf lix
sci-fi horror film Annihilation, itself
based on the novel by Jeff
VanderMeer. The story follows a
group of scientists who enter The
Shimmer, a mysterious quarantined
zone of mutating plants and animals.REAL-WORLD INSPIRATION
Because I work in mixed media
techniques, I try to gather inspiration
from the real world as much as
possible. I have a tiny (but
comprehensive!) library at home
filled with different references. I also
regularly visit Museum Island in
Berlin and read sci-fi books. For this
project, apart from traditional
Delftware imagery, I researched
Georgia O’Keeffe’s juxtapositional art
and Chinese enamel paintings.
The initial stages are always the
most important for me. If I take my
time during the planning phase then
the result is much more satisfying.We’ll start with a composition based
on letter shapes and see how
dramatic film imagery of morphed
plants, deer, skulls and a mutating
alligator can be introduced into the
scene. However, the focus should
always be on the main characters.
The golden rule of composition for
me is “All roads (or lines in our case)
lead to Rome”.
We’ll then use lines, washes and a
dry brush technique to lead the
viewer’s eye and support the feel and
atmosphere of the film.
I hope you’ll find this workshop
helpful and enjoy painting with me!
And of course, become inspired to
read more sci-fi books by Bradbury,
Asimov and Vonnegut.FROM CERAMICS
TO NETFLIX
ANNA SOKOLOVA takes her artistic cues from Delft Blue
earthenware to paint a scene based on the sci-fi film Annihilation
Anna is an award-winning
freelance illustrator, teacher
and artist based in Berlin.
She’s inspired by merging the
traditional and innovative approach in arts
and loves teaching. Discover more of her
work at http://www.annasokolova.eu.GET YOUR
RESOURCES
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