In our latest issue of Blanket {The Portrait issue} we feature a project that has people talking! ‘Found in Translation’ was a surprising project where we challenged 9 photographers, writers and artists to a game of Chinese Whispers.

THE IDEA:
• A photographer sends us a portrait.
• We send this portrait to a writer (with no info on the person in the portrait).
• The writer writes a description of the person they see in the portrait.
• This description is then sent to an artist (without the original portrait) who then creates a portrait based on the description.

So just what did the 3 artists who were asked to participate think of the outcome?

Alison Richards

What was your initial reaction when you saw the original photograph and compared it to your illustration?
I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the image, since it didn’t look anything like what I had pictured in my head. I think that the author of my story did very well to create a sense of character from an image that didn’t have many elements. The image lent itself well to this project for this very reason – it featured a very strong-looking character, but not many other elements, so the author could use some artistic licence. I must say that Niall’s words were a pleasure to work from… and that Science mightn’t be the right calling!

When you were working out a concept for the illustration what parts of the story we provided inspired your illustration?
I wanted to draw a strong woman who had a lot of depth to her in order to convey the regret that the character in the story feels. I also wanted her to be beautiful, but not in a too-obvious, blonde-bombshell kind of way, to convey the first sentence, “She is the kind of woman that makes people think about men.” – I love this sentence. The shoes and the camera were props mentioned in the story, and I thought having them there would connect the illustration more strongly with the story.

What do you think you learned from the project?
I really enjoyed doing this – I love to be challenged by something, and the illustration (and deadline!) were good challenges. I would say that I learnt that stories can be a very good place for inspiration. I am usually inspired most by music and lyrics, so it will be nice to expand my inspiration, and it will give me an excuse to read more!

Drew Fellows

What was your initial reaction when you saw the original photograph and compared it to your illustration?
I was pleasantly surprised in the end. I had no idea what I was going to do. But it’s not that far from the photo. That’s a victory in my book!

When you were working out a concept for the illustration what parts of the story we provided inspired your illustration?
After the first time I read it, I thought there was some sort of watery robot attacking a girl. So I read it again, and it made even less sense the second time around. But the water was the bit that stuck out for me. So I ran with that.

What do you think you learned from the project?
I learnt not to worry about trying to get exactly what was happening in the text. Take from it what I wanted to use, and do my own thing. It’s not a crime.

Bec Winnel

What was your initial reaction when you saw the original photograph and compared it to your illustration?
I was looking at the the first two projects before I saw mine… nodding my head in admiration and interest of each of the interpretations from one creator to the next. Then I saw mine… and instantly thought ‘O M G I got it so wrong, can I have another go please! ‘The original photograph and my interpreted drawing are visually polar opposites. After getting over the initial shock, all I could do is laugh. Then I rang my sister and we laughed together over the phone. Oh how different the two images are! I’m still very happy with the outcome of the project. I like that my drawing has captured the beauty and youth of her etheral self, her soul, and not her physical body, because for me, this is where true beauty lies. The body grows old and perishes and the soul lives on, even if in another life form (can someone please put the cheese away!)

When you were working out a concept for the illustration what parts of the story we provided inspired your illustration?
Reading the story, I connected emotionally to a few key words, and at the same time imagery began forming in my mind. The words I connected with were ‘fear’, ‘releasing someone elses fear’, ‘lead a fear free, naive life of a child’, and ‘and the pink feather she pulled from a bird caused her to be continuously looking over her shoulder’. The imagery in my mind was of a beautiful, caring, selfless woman looking out for everyone else whilst dealing with, and hiding, her own fears. And clearly (I’m a hopeless reader) I went off to draw my girl (mostly because I was excited to start), without reading the last paragraph of the story…

What do you think you learned from the project?
To become better at reading! Ha ha. I now know, more than ever, that I am a visual person and being involved in collaborative creative project, such as this awesome one, is an invaluable and fun learning experience, no matter what the outcome may be!

The Found in Translation project is currently featured in Blanket Magazine Issue 16 – The Portrait Issue. To see the whole project you can purchase a copy here. {You will also receive a FREE wallpaper download of Alison Richards beautiful illustration for your computer screen or iphone! Plus a  FREE wallpaper of our cover artwork by Felix Rodriguez and the FREE ‘Dafnis’ font featured exclusively in Blanket}

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