New Blood Entry — Kate Mclelland

For this project I wanted to create something that could be printed and handed out to people on the street, as well as something that could be made into a phone app. I chose one of my favourite bands, the Fleet Foxes, and illustrated two of their songs. I thought about the individual stories and also about how they both flowed. I chose a concertina format as I felt it leant itself to the bands ability to build soaring harmonies and rich melodies. There is something lovely about representing both songs in one format, whilst retaining their individual identity. The page turns are intended to keep people interested and draw them into the music.

Mixed media was used to create the individual elements, anything from crayon, ink, acrylic etc. These drawings were then scanned into the computer and were combined with digitally created work, creating a collage.

For White Winter Hymnal, the lyrics are short but are repeated increasingly louder and faster. This creates a growing tension, which led to the idea of a chase between foxes and rabbits. I also built up the visual language, from a muted start to heavy rain and a spiralling forest. The lyrics suggest a negative outcome, which is why the rabbits are ultimately doomed to be eaten by a fox or a snake!

He Doesn’t Know Why builds much more slowly and soars up and down continuously. To reflect this visually, it starts big with a wave, then quietens down with a surreal island scene and ends with crashing waves and the escaping protagonist. The song is about a man that cannot connect with his family because of the events of his past. I wanted to express this symbolically – having him fly off from an isolated wife.