Hugh Arkwright, ‘Through Flood . . .’

Meet our hero, Hugh Arkwright of Arkwright’s Mill in Sabine Baring-Gould’s thinly disguised version of Horbury in his semi-autobiographical novel of 1868, Through Flood and Flame. I’ve gone for him encountering peril number one, the flood.

I based the action-hero pose on an Indiana Jones movie poster but as Indy is holding his trademark bullwhip and our hero Hugh was negotiating the flood walking along a garden wall clinging onto a clothes line to keep his balance, I’ve shown him in a later scene which involves a rescue by boat (although in that case Hugh is catching the lifeline rather than throwing it).

Hat, frock coat and necktie, along with the character himself, based on Timothée Chalamet’s version of Willy Wonka.

Annis Greenwell, Mill Worker

Despite the melodrama and the larger-than-life characters, Baring-Gould’s novel Through Flood and Flame was semi-autobiographical. Annis Greenwell was closely modelled on Grace Taylor, a young worker at Baines’s Mill, who – in real life – he met, fell in love with and, a few years later, in May 1868, married at St Peter’s, Horbury.

The Wizard of Ozzett

Have a magical Christmas . . .

This year we’re remembering Barbara’s brother John, who died last April, a newsagent of Ossett (hence the ‘Star’, ‘Sun’ and ‘Mirror’). He had a starring role in the Ellis family pantomime on New Year’s Eve 1986.

John was born on a snowy March day at Manygates Maternity Hospital in 1941. Just after he was born the air raid siren went so he spent his first night in the shelter. Not with his mum though: Betty had to stay in bed.

Also appearing in The Wizard of Ozzett: Joane (Tin Man), Susan (Dorothy), Andrew (Scarecrow) and Betty (Cowardly Lion). Karen was a suitably malevolent Wicked Witch of the West. She does a great cackle but in real life she’s really nice.

And no, that wasn’t me as Belinda the Good Fairy. That was my late brother-in-law Carl, who made his own tutu. The Wizard repaired Belinda’s wand with a Star.

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Flame, Flood & Were-Wolf

Planning the Redbox Gallery Baring Gould Centenary Show

There’s so much that I’d like to include in my Redbox Gallery show but there’s only so much that you can fit into a phone box but the good thing about the limitations is that it makes me focus on the essentials of the story. I will be able to squeeze in a few extras though because I’m able to include an animation playing on a continuous loop.

1865 proved to be a productive year for Horbury’s new curate, Sabine Baring Gould as not only did write the hymn Onward Christian Soldiers for the church’s Whitsuntide Walk from the mission at Horbury Bridge to St Peter’s, he also published The Book of Were-Wolves and was inspired to turn his experiences in Horbury into a melodramatic novel, Through Flood and Flame.

By the way, this is my first post using a new theme, WordPress 2024, and I’m using Lightbox for some images, for instance this one: hover over it and click to see full size (and click again off the image to return to this post).

Were-wolves animation

Of course the were-wolves were the subject that I wanted to start trying out my Procreate animation skills on but there are some colourful characters to include in the novel and, if times permits, including Onward Christian Soldiers would give me plenty of practice on animating a variety of characters walking.

I reassembled the set from a previous Redbox show and carefully measured up check on how much room I had available for the display.

Church procession

Autumnal Animations

falling leaves

My latest Domestika course is illustrator Martín Tognola’s Animated Illustration in Procreate: Tell a Story with Movement.

falling apple

Our first practice exercise is to ‘start testing and see how the animation tool works, discovering what each thing is for,’ so I’ve gone for some simple seasonal subjects.

fungus

‘I invite you to do your own experiments,’ he suggests, ‘Start by drawing simple objects and see how magical it is to animate them. This is the ideal place to make mistakes, learn and clear up doubts.’

bird

He starts us off by explaining how to animate this looping bird, this is my version, closely following his example.

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Rowan

rowan leaf

Rowan leaf from the tree in our front garden.

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Fur and Feather

fur and feather textures

Fur and feather textures drawn for my Naturalist Animal Illustration with Procreate
Domestika course by Román García Mora, using some of the virtual brushes he created.

St Pancras

St Pancras

It’s so long since I drew in London so I took the opportunity as we waited for a train to draw St Pancras from a bench in the welcome shade of the Francis Crick Institute.