With the feedback I was given I decided that Question 4 had the best wording to reflect on what exactly this research is leading to and articulates the direction I want to take my studies in going forward.
This has led me to review and reflect on what my definition of ‘charming’ is and how I have achieved that.
What is Charming?
By definition charming is used to describe something attractively pleasant or endearing. I’ve found that In order to get a visual example of charming in any sort of internet search simply typing in charming does not work; it is required to include something that will fit the description and usually the results will all be familiar.
What exactly charming is could differ from person to person, so it makes it difficult to exactly explain what makes my concept art charming.
My personal definition of ‘charming’ is rooted in the type of media consumed as a child - from stop motion shows such as ‘Bagpuss’ to toys like ‘Sylvanian Families’ I gained an interest in these small doll house-esque worlds set in the past. Another one of those influences was the works of Kenneth Grahame and Beatrix Potter.
I can say my art has influences of the idyllic life of villages of the countryside and the aesthetics and culture associated with it, hence the heavy focus on folk tales and fairy tales in my research.
Much like folklore and folk tales the concept of Folk is associated with rural areas and small villages in the countryside; in contrast to the populace in cities being almost closed off they still uphold old traditions, rituals, dances, songs and stories of creatures and spirits that lurk within the woods or moorlands.
As a concept artist it is my job to create art that captures a certain ‘look and feel’ and so this involves research in order to correctly replicate this by collecting images that we associate with this ‘look and feel’.
Through my research I found different cultures and subcultures have been able to do this; they have their own terms that accumulate the ‘look and feel’ we get from these images and in vice versa what we would use to describe a ‘look and feel’ we are trying to articulate.
For the Scandinavians they have Hygge - a term used to describe cosiness, charm, happiness, content, security, comfort, reassurance, and simpleness.
What we would call this an Aesthetic, by definition Aesthetics are imagery whether a photo or a painting that is appreciated for the way it evokes emotions with beauty. The craft of creating Aesthetics usually involves collecting images that share traits that are associated with the subject or collecting items in order to imitate the aesthetic; in a way creating the idyllic version as we can see in the examples below.
Scandinavian Aesthetic
A mythic land unlike our own, the land of snow and the home of trolls
As Aesthetics have become more popular online subcultures have started to accumulate and take ownership of certain visuals and themes to be part of the aesthetic known is ‘core’ it extends beyond being just an aesthetic - where it's inspired a state of being and lifestyle, oftentimes expressed through clothing, decor, activities and art.
Prairiecore is seen as the American version of Cottagecore; based on the life of the American pioneers and life on the prairie, many of the aesthetics include fields of wheat, rural farm life and straw hats.
Cabincore
Cabincore romanticizes the idea of living in a remote cabin in the woods, there is often crossover with seasonal aesthetics such as winter and autumn. Visual themes describe a sense of coziness with an emphasis of thick wool jumpers and chopping wood for a campfire.
Fairycore is an aesthetic that as its name suggests is solely focused on fairy folk. Photos used in this aesthetic are edited to be softer and lighter to give the images a delicate feel to match the use of pastel colours, flowers and butterflies that are in common use.
Much like the Hobbits of J. R. R. Tolkien’s fantasy novels Hobbitcore focuses on the everyday life of living in the Shire. Popular images used in this aesthetic include dusty bookshelves, old teacups, hand sewn clothes, and ofcourse a cozy little hobbit hole.
Goblincore is much more slovenly and in-tune to the ways of fae folk; it shows an appreciation to aspects of nature not regarded as classically beautiful.
