The Donkey
Grimm Tale No. 144
Grimm Tale No. 144
This project spanned several months and many stages. We were instructed to produce, ultimately, a 11" x 17" poster illustrating and containing the full text of one of the Grimm Brothers' tales. As usual, I went above and beyond the initial requirements and created a full baroque-style painting to serve as the illustration behind the text in the final piece.
Note: there are a lot of steps here, as this is the entire process. Skip to the end if you'd like to see the final product.
Note: there are a lot of steps here, as this is the entire process. Skip to the end if you'd like to see the final product.
After first selecting the story we were going to illustrate (full text reprinted below), our professor had us design what he called "Perfect Pages." Given the body of text from the story, and an 8.5" x 11" page, we were to combine margins, font family, type size, and leading to create the most invisible combination (a'la Beatrice Warde's "Crystal Goblet" and using the principles of Bringhurst). We would then be able to use these settings as a starting point for our final poster's layout. Mine is set in 10/14.5 Sabon, with margins of 2.05", 2.18", and 2.74" (top, bottom, and sides, respectively).
The Donkey
by the Brothers Grimm
There once lived a king and queen who were rich and had everything they desired except children. The queen lamented day and night because of this, saying, “I’m like a field on which nothing grows.”
Finally, God fulfilled her wishes. However, when the baby was born, it did not look like a human child but like a young donkey. When the mother saw it, she really began to lament and screamed that she would rather have had no child at all than to have had a donkey, and she ordered the donkey to be thrown into the water so the fish could eat him up.
But the king said, “No. Since God has given him to us, then he shall be my son and heir. After my death he shall sit on the royal throne and wear the royal crown.”
So the donkey was brought up at court. As he got bigger his ears also grew quite high and straight. Otherwise, he had a cheerful disposition, was frisky, played, and was especially fond of music. At one time he went to a famous minstrel and said, “Teach me your art so that I can play the lute as well as you.”
“Ah, my dear young lord,” answered the minstrel, “this will be difficult for you. Your fingers aren’t really made for it. They are much too big, and I’m afraid you’ll break the strings.”
Yet the donkey would not be dissuaded, for he was determined to learn how to play the lute. He was diligent and persistent, and at last he learned how to play as well as the master himself.
One day the young lord was in a contemplative mood and went out for a walk. He came to a spring and looked at his donkey shape reflected in the water that was as clear as a mirror. He was so distressed by the sight that he decided to go out into the wide world and to take only one trusted companion with him.
So they wandered here and there and finally came to a country ruled by an old king who had just one daughter, but she was exceedingly beautiful. The donkey said, “This is where we shall stay awhile,” and he knocked on the gate and cried, “There’s a guest of here! Open up and let him in.”
When the gate did not open, he sat down, took his lute, and began playing a lovely tune with his two forefeet. The gatekeeper’s eyes opened in astonishment, and he ran to the king and said, “There’s a young donkey sitting outside the front gate. It’s playing the lute like a great expert.”
“Then let the musician come in,” said the king.
When the donkey entered, however, everyone began to laugh at the lute player. He was directed to sit down and eat with the servants, but he refused and said, “I’m not a common barnyard donkey. I’m of noble birth.”
“If this is what you are,” they said, “then sit down with the knights.”
“No,” he said. “I’ll sit with the king.”
The king laughed and showed his good humour, “Yes, indeed. You may have your way, donkey. Come here to me.” And soon after, he asked, “Donkey, how do you like my daughter?”
The donkey turned his head, looked at her, nodded, and said, “Exceptionally well. I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as she is.”
“Well, you shall sit next to her,” said the king.
“That’s fine with me,” said the donkey, and sat down next to her, ate and drank, and showed that he could conduct himself in a courteous and proper manner.
After the noble animal had spent quite some time at the king’s court, he thought, What’s the use of all this? You’ve got to return home. He lowered his head sadly, went before the king, and asked his permission to depart. However, the king had taken a liking to him and said, “My little donkey, what’s the matter with you? You look as sour as a jug of vinegar. Stay with me. I’ll give you anything your heart requests. Do you want gold?”
“No,” said the donkey and shook his head.
“Do you want some fine, valuable things?”
“No.”
“Do you want half my kingdom?”
“Ah, no.”
“If only I knew what would make you happy,” said the king. “Do you want my beautiful daughter for your wife?”
“Oh, yes,” said the donkey. “I’d be delighted to have her for my wife,” and suddenly he was quite cheerful and in good spirits, for that was exactly what he had desired.
Soon a huge and splendid wedding was held, and that night, when the bride and bridegroom were led to their bedchamber, the king wanted to know whether the donkey would conduct himself in a nice and polite manner, and he ordered a servant to hide himself in their room. When the two were inside, the bridegroom bolted the door and looked around. Once he was convinced that they were completely alone, he threw off the donkey skin, and all at once he stood there as a handsome young prince.
“Now you see who I am,” he said, “and you also see that I’m worthy of you.”
The bride was happy, gave him a kiss, and loved him with all her heart. When morning came, he jumped up, put on his donkey skin again, and nobody would have guessed what lay beneath it. Soon the old king came along.
“Goodness!” he cried. “The donkey’s already wide-awake.” Then, turning to his daughter, he said, “You probably regret that you weren’t wed to a real man, don’t you?”
“Oh, no, Father, I love him as if he were the handsomest man in the world, and I want to keep him for the rest of my life.”
The king was puzzled by this, but then the servant, who had concealed himself, came to him and told him everything.
“I don’t believe it,” said the king.
“Well, keep tonight’s watch yourself, and then you shall see it with your own eyes. My advice to you, Your Majesty, is to take his skin away from him and throw it into a fire. Then he’ll certainly have to reveal himself in his true form.”
“That’s good advice,” said the king, and that night, while they were sleeping, he crept into their room, and when he came to their bed, he saw a noble-looking young man resting in the moonlight and the skin lying discarded on the ground. So he took it away and ordered a tremendous fire to be made outside. Then he threw the skin into the fire and remained there until it was entirely burned to ashes. Since he wanted to see what the young man would do when he discovered the theft, he stayed awake the whole night and lay in wait. When the young man had slept his fill, he got up with the first rays of the sun and wanted to put on his donkey skin, but he could not find it anywhere. So he was horrified and overcome by sadness and dread. “Now I must find some way to flee,” he said.
However, when he left the room, the king was standing there and said, “My son, why are you in such a hurry? What do you intend to do? Stay here. You’re such a handsome man, and I don’t want you to leave. I’ll give you half my kingdom now, and after my death you’ll get all of it.”
“Well,” said the young man, “since I want everything that began well to end well, I’ll stay with you.”
Then the old man gave him half the kingdom, and when he died a year later, the young man had all of it. Then after the death of his own father, he received yet another kingdom and lived in great splendor.
Wilhelm Grimm and Jacob Grimm, The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, trans. Jack Zipes.
New York: Bantam Books, 2003.
by the Brothers Grimm
There once lived a king and queen who were rich and had everything they desired except children. The queen lamented day and night because of this, saying, “I’m like a field on which nothing grows.”
Finally, God fulfilled her wishes. However, when the baby was born, it did not look like a human child but like a young donkey. When the mother saw it, she really began to lament and screamed that she would rather have had no child at all than to have had a donkey, and she ordered the donkey to be thrown into the water so the fish could eat him up.
But the king said, “No. Since God has given him to us, then he shall be my son and heir. After my death he shall sit on the royal throne and wear the royal crown.”
So the donkey was brought up at court. As he got bigger his ears also grew quite high and straight. Otherwise, he had a cheerful disposition, was frisky, played, and was especially fond of music. At one time he went to a famous minstrel and said, “Teach me your art so that I can play the lute as well as you.”
“Ah, my dear young lord,” answered the minstrel, “this will be difficult for you. Your fingers aren’t really made for it. They are much too big, and I’m afraid you’ll break the strings.”
Yet the donkey would not be dissuaded, for he was determined to learn how to play the lute. He was diligent and persistent, and at last he learned how to play as well as the master himself.
One day the young lord was in a contemplative mood and went out for a walk. He came to a spring and looked at his donkey shape reflected in the water that was as clear as a mirror. He was so distressed by the sight that he decided to go out into the wide world and to take only one trusted companion with him.
So they wandered here and there and finally came to a country ruled by an old king who had just one daughter, but she was exceedingly beautiful. The donkey said, “This is where we shall stay awhile,” and he knocked on the gate and cried, “There’s a guest of here! Open up and let him in.”
When the gate did not open, he sat down, took his lute, and began playing a lovely tune with his two forefeet. The gatekeeper’s eyes opened in astonishment, and he ran to the king and said, “There’s a young donkey sitting outside the front gate. It’s playing the lute like a great expert.”
“Then let the musician come in,” said the king.
When the donkey entered, however, everyone began to laugh at the lute player. He was directed to sit down and eat with the servants, but he refused and said, “I’m not a common barnyard donkey. I’m of noble birth.”
“If this is what you are,” they said, “then sit down with the knights.”
“No,” he said. “I’ll sit with the king.”
The king laughed and showed his good humour, “Yes, indeed. You may have your way, donkey. Come here to me.” And soon after, he asked, “Donkey, how do you like my daughter?”
The donkey turned his head, looked at her, nodded, and said, “Exceptionally well. I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as she is.”
“Well, you shall sit next to her,” said the king.
“That’s fine with me,” said the donkey, and sat down next to her, ate and drank, and showed that he could conduct himself in a courteous and proper manner.
After the noble animal had spent quite some time at the king’s court, he thought, What’s the use of all this? You’ve got to return home. He lowered his head sadly, went before the king, and asked his permission to depart. However, the king had taken a liking to him and said, “My little donkey, what’s the matter with you? You look as sour as a jug of vinegar. Stay with me. I’ll give you anything your heart requests. Do you want gold?”
“No,” said the donkey and shook his head.
“Do you want some fine, valuable things?”
“No.”
“Do you want half my kingdom?”
“Ah, no.”
“If only I knew what would make you happy,” said the king. “Do you want my beautiful daughter for your wife?”
“Oh, yes,” said the donkey. “I’d be delighted to have her for my wife,” and suddenly he was quite cheerful and in good spirits, for that was exactly what he had desired.
Soon a huge and splendid wedding was held, and that night, when the bride and bridegroom were led to their bedchamber, the king wanted to know whether the donkey would conduct himself in a nice and polite manner, and he ordered a servant to hide himself in their room. When the two were inside, the bridegroom bolted the door and looked around. Once he was convinced that they were completely alone, he threw off the donkey skin, and all at once he stood there as a handsome young prince.
“Now you see who I am,” he said, “and you also see that I’m worthy of you.”
The bride was happy, gave him a kiss, and loved him with all her heart. When morning came, he jumped up, put on his donkey skin again, and nobody would have guessed what lay beneath it. Soon the old king came along.
“Goodness!” he cried. “The donkey’s already wide-awake.” Then, turning to his daughter, he said, “You probably regret that you weren’t wed to a real man, don’t you?”
“Oh, no, Father, I love him as if he were the handsomest man in the world, and I want to keep him for the rest of my life.”
The king was puzzled by this, but then the servant, who had concealed himself, came to him and told him everything.
“I don’t believe it,” said the king.
“Well, keep tonight’s watch yourself, and then you shall see it with your own eyes. My advice to you, Your Majesty, is to take his skin away from him and throw it into a fire. Then he’ll certainly have to reveal himself in his true form.”
“That’s good advice,” said the king, and that night, while they were sleeping, he crept into their room, and when he came to their bed, he saw a noble-looking young man resting in the moonlight and the skin lying discarded on the ground. So he took it away and ordered a tremendous fire to be made outside. Then he threw the skin into the fire and remained there until it was entirely burned to ashes. Since he wanted to see what the young man would do when he discovered the theft, he stayed awake the whole night and lay in wait. When the young man had slept his fill, he got up with the first rays of the sun and wanted to put on his donkey skin, but he could not find it anywhere. So he was horrified and overcome by sadness and dread. “Now I must find some way to flee,” he said.
However, when he left the room, the king was standing there and said, “My son, why are you in such a hurry? What do you intend to do? Stay here. You’re such a handsome man, and I don’t want you to leave. I’ll give you half my kingdom now, and after my death you’ll get all of it.”
“Well,” said the young man, “since I want everything that began well to end well, I’ll stay with you.”
Then the old man gave him half the kingdom, and when he died a year later, the young man had all of it. Then after the death of his own father, he received yet another kingdom and lived in great splendor.
Wilhelm Grimm and Jacob Grimm, The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm, trans. Jack Zipes.
New York: Bantam Books, 2003.
I started the visual side of the piece by doing research and mood boards. Even though the Grimm Tales first appeared in 1812, the tradition for fairy tale illustrations was, even by then, well-established. The characters would be dressed in clothing from previous eras, often far-enough removed as to be seen as romantic, rather than humorous. I decided, therefore, to take inspiration from Theodor Rombouts' 1620 painting "The Lute Player," seen in the mood board "Lute" shown above, as well as from Rembrandt and Vermeer.
Sketches were next, and color schemes. The sketches are on a page, about one inch by two, but they were enough for me to finalize what I wanted to do with the poster. As you can see, I had started out with a vertical orientation, but decided that a horizontal would be less...obvious. I had decided to try out a new type of paint, Golden Open, which would enable me to mimic the glazing and blending techniques of oil paint, without the mess and hassle of oil. I was correct in my assumption.
In order to better create the painting, I followed the advice of my favourite living artist, James Gurney (visible at his blog, http://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2007/09/character-maquettes), and made a maquette with a dollar store action figure, modeling clay, and strips of mat board. I then photographed it (as you can see above) in various light conditions, from different angles. The one I selected was the second from the left on the bottom row, but I utilized elements (for example the color of the photograph in the top row) to make the piece more rich.
A proof-of-concept to make sure there would be enough room for the text. This also gives you a better view of how...cobbled-together the maquette was. It's surprising how little is required to get enough information from which to work.
I then took the photo I had selected and tested, and made it an extreme black-and-white. This would help me to see the composition and lighting easier. From this modified photo, I made a few studies in India ink, solidifying the placement, and one final scale study.
Now comes the actual painting. First, a sketch on canvas panel, covered in gloss acrylic medium, to protect the lines and give a bit of randomized texture to the board, then an initial lay-in of base color, Vermeer-style. You can see the transparent layers I used in the closeup at right. Then more and more and more layers, until finally...
The painting is done! It took me about a weekend for the painting itself, and about a week for the preparations before the painting. Now I could start designing.
Now that I had the painting done, I had to design my poster around it. I cropped it to 11" x 17" (plus a little extra for bleeds) and analyzed the composition. The grey lines and fields above correspond to the image, and when flipped 180° become the guidelines along which I'll be placing the text. My first designs (as shown in the proof-of-concept, several photos above) had blocks of text 66 characters wide, as though the poster were a magazine spread. I was encouraged to explore a more post-modern approach, mingling lines of text of varying weights and sizes for emphasis. The result is the rough draft above.
The final result was—as it was intended to be—an 11" x 17" poster, with the full text of the original story (translated into English, of course), as well as my painting.
