Baa Baa Black Sheep (TB 1 - 2017)
In this unit, I've worked on this nursery rhyme 'Baa Baa Black Sheep' into a horror story. Researching on it's history and designed the characters and environment base on where the nursery rhyme was originated from.
Origin:
The Nursery Rhyme 'Baa Baa Black Sheep' originated from the time in the year 1275, the late middle age of medieval England. King Edward l imposed a tax on wool trade in order to fund his military ventures. Wool tax became a big business for the nobles and peasants alike. It became a resentment towards the heavy taxation and high demand for wool which then formed the nursery rhyme. The black wool from the black sheep was priced differently than the regular wool as it can be made into a black cloth straight away and doesn't require dyeing. The nursery rhyme was then published in 1744.
Original version :
Bah, Bah, a black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes merry I have,
Three Bags full.
Two for my Master,
One for my Dame,
None for the Little Boy
That cries in the lane.
Modern version :
Baa, Baa, Black Sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes, sir, yes, sir,
Three bags fill;
One for the master,
and one for the dame,
and one for the little boy
who lives down the lane.
From here, I've combined both versions into the story.
STORY:
The story begins in the late middle age year 1275 in England, where wool had become a high demand in the market. The wool tax was a problem to the people, especially the poor. A farmer was seen selling his products from his farm to a merchant and receiving his bit of money. The farmer wasn't quite happy as he didn't receive much profit until he noticed a young shepherd, along with his three black sheeps near an old worn-out barn in an open field. The farmer decided to approach the young shepherd with the intention to buy his three black sheeps at a low price. The farmer intended to trick the boy by telling him the money that the farmer held is worth a month of food and intended to have three black sheeps for the amount which he has in his hands. The boy, however, refuses to sell his sheeps as he claims that he didn't raise the sheeps for money sake. The farmer then tries to convince the boy that the sheeps won't help him survive through the winter unless he makes money out of them. The boy then decided to make a deal with the man; he won't take the money but will take the third bag full of wool that the man shears from his black sheeps. The farmer accepts the deal and took one black sheep home. When the farmer was done shearing the wool off the black sheep with three bags perfectly filled with wool, he sells all of the three bags to a merchant, making more profit than his usual amount. As the Farmer counts his money, one of his hand turned into a black hoof. The man was in shock, screamed as he tries to pick up his fallen money on the ground. Slowly each of his limbs changed and he completely turned into a black sheep, as this is a curse placed upon him for deceiving and breaking a promise for greed. At the entrance of the barn, the shepherd boy was seen looking at the black sheep, his eyes shaped like a sheep.
Works and sketches:
Sheep sketch
Previous shepherd character design
Previous farmer character design
Environment sketches and color test
Researched references:
Outdoor view:
Barn :
Clothing design:
Research in the University library:
Research information link :
Story
- http://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/More-Nursery-Rhymes/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baa,_Baa,_Black_Sheep#Origins_and_meaning
- http://www.buildinghistory.org/buildings/barns.shtml
- https://www.lostkingdom.net/the-life-of-a-villager-during-the-middle-ages/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barn
- http://www.medievalchronicles.com/medieval-clothing/medieval-shoes/
- http://www.medievalchronicles.com/medieval-clothing/medieval-peoples-clothing/peasants-clothing/
- http://www.medievalchronicles.com/medieval-clothing/
- http://www.medievalchronicles.com/medieval-clothing/medieval-peoples-clothing/peasants-clothing/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_medieval_clothing#General_attire_4
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1200%E2%80%931300_in_European_fashion
Character Design:
Shepherd Boy
Farmer peasant
Black Sheep
Background Design:
Shepherd Boy's farm land
Road to the town
Farmer's barn
Storyboard:
Previous version:
thumbnails
1st storyboard:
2nd storyboard:
Finalized version:
WORKSHOP EXPERIMENTS
During the 2nd term, I've worked on several experiments such as monoprinting, sand animation and oil painting, as well as making a model for my nursery rhyme.
Monoprint work :
3 monoprint artworks of the characters and the background, I've tried working on tones and mood for the characters using oil paint and paintbrush, working around from the outlines to the middle.
As for the 3rd artwork which is the background, I've used white spirits liquid to form the clouds, and dip a little bit on the grass to test the amount of possibility of a semi eerie look on the ground, it may not work out right but it was worth the experience.
Oil painting animation:
paper print :
An oil painting of a sheep on the field. I've worked on the atmosphere of the background, wind blowing on to the field. My favorite part was the clouds as they seem to work really well despite a slight mess in the texture.
Sand animation 001 :
A sand animation on a scene base on my story in the nursery rhyme, where the farmer morphed into a sheep in horror. The atmosphere around the character was meant to be smoke like, adding the eeriness in the scene.
Sand animation 002 :
On the second experiment, I've worked on sand as during the first experiment I've enjoyed and loved how the form of the sand gave off the dark, creepy, eeriness when placed under a light box, and it also works well with the atmosphere of my nursery rhyme story. On this experiment, I've tried to take advantage of the sand's eerie form along with the brightness of the light box, using as much sand as possible to enhance the thick darkness as I work around the lighting in the animation. The animation seen here is base on the near end of the story where the door of the barn creeps open, lights travel slightly across the walls of the room.
Sand animation 003 :
The last sand animation I've worked on is the environment on the early part of the story. I've tried to work on the depth and distance of the field. The abandon barn at the distance with the trees was meant to be silhouetted and the middle point where I could focus and work around the thick layer of sand, the further the distance of the hills, the lighter the sand would be. I've also worked on the grass movements along with the clouds as the wind blows to give off the atmosphere of life. The grass was also another point where I could signify the distance and depth on the ground.
HAND MADE MODEL
On this experiment, I've worked on making a model of the barn out of wood. Instead of building the model first, I painted each of the wood to have a better sense of carpentry in the barn structure before putting all the sticks together and sticking them one by one.
Extra images :
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