Pictoplasma Missing Link Project

The other week I submitted something to Pictoplasma's Missing-Link Project! The thoughts behind this one was fairly simple:

My missing link is a rather benign character. He is not unlike anyone else, but he is rarely seen. He is alone. And he is mysterious. I believe that unseen beasts and forces are far more intriguing (and frightening) than ones that you see because the minute you see something you begin to analyse and plan how to escape from it or exploit it or befriend it or whatever. The more mystery there is to it, the less you can plan what to do next and it has the upper hand.

So here is the process and the result.

This was one of my first ideas, but it's far too descriptive with its obvious labels and such ((mildly) humorous though they may be..)

The idea behind this one was to follow him (via a speechless narrative) as he goes shoe-shopping. Eventually he finds a pair that fit, but they're not his colour/style. But I think this might have been too revealing too (you know that Forrest Gump quote "Momma always says there's an awful lot you could tell about a person by their shoes. Where they're going. Where they've been."

So this ended up being the idea I went with.

This image follows my missing link, not necessarily through a day, but looking at aspects of his life like his recreational habits, what he eats, his relationships and his general lifestyle, to learn a little bit about him, but in a way that doesn’t give away too much. You barely see him, but you can still sympathise with his aloneness which is my focus: to emphasise his solitude. I didn’t want there to be any sense of what he feels about his situation, though. His world is colourful; there's not much not to like. He may or may not like living like a recluse, but we don’t get to know that. We just decide his feelings and react to our own decisions about his situation.

♥