Many moons ago I was an art student in an Art History course researching genres and styles. Symbolism, a broad spectrum of art, was my favorite domain. Within the Symbolist movement were a great deal of wild depictions that escaped the control of the church and I loved to thumb through a book or click through website related to this era. In one odd search a style popped in with a dramatic scheme, with borders, angles, and a storyline hidden in placement more than direct scenes from observation. Enter Nouveau.
"Pictured above is the final sketch for the Tales of Reign Nouveau."
An eon went by and I wrote this novel about the life of Reign, a young man raised as an alien under some very unusual circumstances. In those volumes there are a great many factions and characters in play that are just as important as the protagonist. When I decided to make a promotional poster for the book, Nouveau seemed the best style to capture the separations and also unify the story.
"Pictured right is the rough sketch and inkwork for Tales of Reign Nouveau."
The left half of the piece, outside the central halo, S'lei stands above an enclosed garden with a large pitcher plant inside. The Mor'h in the novel are an evolved plant-based species. Often throughout the story I make reference and allusions to plant-life as it can be beautiful, seductive and dangerous. S'lei who is a significant player in the story raises her hand like a puppeteer over the central art, above Reign. In black and white here, she is more ominous than the maternal character actually is written. Yet that stern and unflinching persona is key to who she is and what purposes she serves.
S'lei grew into one of my favorite aliens as the story became more evolved.
"Tales of Reign is told in first person narrative to attach the reader to the alien nature of the work without letting the reader disengage from being alone, dependent and confused."
The right side of the design becomes darker and loses the growth of vines and foliage associated with the Mor'h. Instead I used hard rays cutting through the background often used in militaristic symbolism. The stone statue in an intimidating red is a surreal translation of the antagonistic Orbital Guard of the novel. Dae, Reign's love interest who has her own stories to tell, is also contained in this frame. Though she is part of the central development of Reign and such a significant portion of his burgeoning humanity, she came from a place of hurt and separation.
The bottom right is a small symbolic interpretation of the Sol system with all nine planets and the sun. (Love my dwarf planet-Pluto)
"Nouveau is one of those genres that rules are necessary to break all the rules."
The central focal point of the entire design is shown here in the digital painted version. Reign and Dae are split by the symbolic Tree of Life--in the Mor'h styling. I gave them a very distinct homage to the biblical Adam and Eve. This says a lot without giving away so much. Reign and Dae are together on a life altering journey that will shape modern existence after the climax. The roots have grown into a frame that incircles them and holds them as their lofty movements suggest they could float away if not contained, as love is often described.
"The final Nouveau is available to purchase in the Redbubble store or at select appearances from Folk Utopia and M. E. Wise. The original drawing is in the families private collection."
Tales of Reign Nouveau is available in the Folk Utopia Redbubble store. Links are available under the CONTACT and FOLK UTOPIA tabs. We have sold them live at public events and should continue to do so in the future. I hope that you enjoyed the explanation and have read the novels connected to these characters. See you next time. Mw