Personal Journal - Undated

My thoughts are loosing their clarity of late. I catch myself staring across the mountains, empty minded and idle, watching the wind. My earlier melancholy has receded, but I'm left with a strange sensation, as if I'm suspended in some clear substance, a step away from my own body. Meditative perhaps, but not at all like the feeling of being close to God - peculiar and cold instead of warm and vast.
I would not entertain the thought were I not so far from home, but perhaps this land is somehow removed from God, or God from it. Perhaps a creator who is forgotten forgets their creation, and I'm a traveller in some wilderness of faith. Or is it that I'm so preoccupied with my isolation and with the difficulties I face that I no longer feel connected to anything?
Ah, but I replace melancholy with spiritual doubt! I think that this mood I have found myself in is not an improvement at all. I have found myself wondering if it would be for the best for me to withdraw for a while and find purpose again before I undermine my own task. Indeed, as I actually write the sentiment, I feel it to be a truth from God. I can find others of my faith and discuss what I have found, perhaps even gain extra insight. Maybe they've succeeded where I've so far failed.
It's a simple road, but appealing. I shall think on it.

Tandzin ouHaddi, first missionary to Azul.  

Labels: Journal, Tandzin_ouHaddi

posted by Paul Duffield  # 17:00 0 comments

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Music

It's been a slow few weeks for The Firelight Isle over Christmas - both for me and the campaign. Perhaps not the best of times to launch on reflection! However, I've still got plenty planned - there are 5 weeks left until the campaign is over, and I'll be continuing with the project afterwards too!

Over Christmas I was visiting family and had very little with me except my iPhone, but with some time to relax, and the discovery of a recording and mixing app called DAW Multitrack, I ended up recording some music as I imagined it might sound in Azul!



(non flash link for apple mobile device users: click here)

It's amazing what you can do with a large baking tray, a tinkly hello kitty phone charm, an ukulele and a smartphone!

Labels: Azul, funding, music

posted by Paul Duffield  # 13:30 1 comments

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Azul

I just finished this rough image which is a design for Azul, and also an image from the opening parts of the story. It's drawn from the roof garden of Anlil's workshop and home, looking out over the centre of the market district, the palace of the Somin, and on the left, the edge of a huge open square where the residents of Azul gather for worship.

The many long banners that adorn the palace and the front of shops and homes will be coloured depending on profession and business - craftspeople and traders compete to make the most attractive displays of the their colour.

Labels: artwork, Azul, design

posted by Paul Duffield  # 22:44 2 comments

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Tandzin ouHaddi

 


Here's the first design that I produced for a character that for a long time I thought of only as "the missionary". This is the man who has been writing the "guest entries" in the blog so far!

Labels: design, Tandzin_ouHaddi

posted by Paul Duffield  # 15:02 0 comments

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Personal Journal, 3rd Day-Winter

I must admit to feeling a great melancholy descend upon me in the winter cycles. Although the winters here are not as deep, they remind me painfully of my homeland, and I find myself yearning for familiar sights and faces. Spreading faith among the peoples of the hidden isle may sound exotic and admirable, but my daily reality is to constantly collide with misunderstanding - both theirs and my own.

I take some comfort in the knowledge that there are a few others from civilised lands nearby, but if I were to speak my heart honestly, I would say that I wish to be home, amongst the people of my Almshouse. More than anything I would say that I wish for a friend – or at least to see a sympathetic face from time to time.

I am used to foreigners, but to these people I am truly alien (quite how their culture has remained so reclusive now that travel spans the globe I do not know). At times I feel in their estimation no greater than a clever animal, and certainly less desirable.

If I must endure this however, I will. When I turn to my faith, I feel my hope rekindled. The seasons here are shallow and pass quickly, I must do my best not to let my resolve mirror them.

Tandzin ouHaddi, first missionary to Azul. 

Labels: Azul, Journal, Tandzin_ouHaddi

posted by Paul Duffield  # 12:42 0 comments

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Like Clockwork

Another major element in the world of The Firelight Isle is the galaxy above which it hangs. This has been a part of the plot since the earliest incarnation of the script, and I knew that it needed to be visible in the sky during both the day and the night.
However, this arrangement was creating a few sticking points for the story, mainly because I hadn't actually worked out how it would appear, so I spent some time figuring out exactly how the local solar system is arranged!

This ended up giving me the basis for a calendar and an unusual pattern of seasons in which each year contains two summers and two winters, named the Day-Winter and Night-Winter, Morning-Summer and Evening-Summer after the part of a "turning" (their equivalent if a 24 hour period) during which the galaxy appears in the sky. This has really freed me to move on with certain parts of the story about which I was unclear, and has added some nice texture to the lives of the characters!

Labels: astronomy, design, reserach

posted by Paul Duffield  # 17:20 0 comments

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Personal Journal, 1st Day-Winter

My attempts to learn the local religion are painfully slow, but I'm collecting everything I've learned so far in this entry. I was approached in my Almshouse a few turnings ago by a member of the "Numin", a group that from their close contact to the Somin I gather to be a sort of priesthood - if such a word is appropriate when no House is in evidence.


This woman originally came to my Almshouse to force me to leave, or at least lecture me on propriety. But after I began asking her questions relating to her faith, instead of seizing up like all too many have before her, she began talking! I think she may actually have been trying to culture me out of exasperation at my ignorance!

The conversation was enlightening to say the least, and remains my main source of knowledge about local religion. It appears to be a sort of astronomical worship, although these people are unfamiliar with the very idea of astronomy and the word for "star" in their language actually translates to "soul" or perhaps "spirit". Thier central belief seems to be in transcendence or ascendency, as symbolised by the great starpool that dominates the northern skies and forms the basis for their calendar. This is my interpretation of the thing she kept trying to explain to me (synonyms or other meanings for the same word in their language in brackets):

"the stars (spirits) belong to the people, and we move towards Heaven (ascendency) by following our religion (the path). Southran, your lands are far from Heaven, and your religion is perhaps too far away."

After repeating a similar response to many of my questions, she turned her back on me in a gesture that seemed oddly formal despite her frustration, and left.

This has left me with a number of questions - first, what are the tenants of their "path" and from where do they derive their morals and scruples? And how can a religion have a physical location - am I translating correctly? I have seen no sign of a holy book, nor any sermons or preaching. Secondly, are the stars spirits of the deceased or do they somehow "belong" to the people? I confess that I find little here of substance, and no easy relationships through which the true faith might be spoken to them clearly. It may well seem as foreign to them as actually seeing the starpool is to me. I must admit though, it's a powerful sight, and it does not surprise me that it motivates faith, no matter how misguided.

Tandzin ouHaddi, first missionary to Azul.

Labels: Journal, Numin, Somin, Tandzin_ouHaddi

posted by Paul Duffield  # 16:20 0 comments

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Good Progress

Three weeks in, and The Firelight Isle is going fantastically! There's been good progress over the last week, so this is a general update to go over it all!

Firstly, the campaign's going at good speed - 3 weeks out of 10 down, and just about 30% of the goal raised! Bang on target for now! However, I think I've just about reached the limits of my ability to reach people directly - many people who have donated have been friends or fans that I know well, so the next stage of the campaign is to help the project reach a wider audience who might be interested. I'll be looking to contact bloggers, journalists and anyone with a good reach who is interested in comics over the next week or so, so any help from people currently following the project would be welcome! I'm also working on an animated trailer that's put together using images created for the project so far. That's going well, and should be ready to post in the next few weeks.

I've got three new features to add to the campaign itself this week!

• The first is that I'm going to be starting a credits page for everyone who contributes, and there's a new $1 perk called "spark" that you can choose to qualify for this if you haven't yet donated!
• The second is that I've got a brand new perk called "sunlight", which for a minimum donation of $200 gets you a print, and a copy of the book when it's finished, plus your credit printed in the book itself! (one previous contributor who donated $200 will be offered an upgrade from their previously chosen perk)
• The third is that I'm cutting the price of the "galaxylight" perk from $1000 to $500! This perk will get you a print, a copy of the finished book with a signature and sketch, along with an original page of artwork from the comic!

I've also made good progress on the story itself! There's been a scene near the beginning that I got stuck on a while back, and eventually moved onwards, taking care of other elements of the story. Thankfully earlier this week in a slightly sleep-deprived state a solution occurred to me, which means that the whole opening of the story is now fully written and ready to thumbnail. Hopefully I'll be able to show some previews in the weeks to come!

Finally, a lovely thing happened regarding the research! My blog post Fabric of Fiction received a comment from a Costume Historian who recommended an incredible book called Costume Pattern and Design. It's a little hard to get and some copies are very expensive, but I managed to track down a reasonably priced one, and had it delivered a few days ago! It's a beautiful collection of colour illustrations of costumes from all around the world and all throughout history. It's going to be an invaluable resource, as I have quite a few clothes left to design for The Firelight Isle! This is the first time I've been able to use funds from the campaign directly to help the project, and it's a fantastic purchase!

Labels: clothing, design, funding, reserach

posted by Paul Duffield  # 15:20 0 comments

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Fabric of Fiction

Since dye and fabric are a major part of The Firelight Isle, I've tried to pay special attention to the clothing that the people of Azul wear. The following are a couple of designs that I produced after taking inspiration from clothes of various different cultures found in the Pitt Rivers Museum.


The driving idea behind the designs is to produce clothes with form and shape whilst using minimal tailoring. Each item of clothing is normally made by cutting and folding a single piece of fabric, with large toggles as the main method of securing the fabric, and thick, chorded hemming keeping the edges durable.

Labels: clothing, design, reserach

posted by Paul Duffield  # 12:20 6 comments

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Personal Journal, 2nd Morning-Summer

Azul is a major trading post and the centre of a large industry that supports the locals. As far as I can ascertain, it's named after a rich blue dye called Azuli, produced from plants of the same name that grow around the local area. From my conversations with the few locals who tolerate my presence, the town began as a series of farms that cultivated the plants and then expanded to include workshops producing the dye, later becoming part of a trade route. It now houses thousands of farmers, workers, artisans and craftspeople, along with a large temporary residence.

The dye itself is so lucrative because its colour is regarded as sacrosanct, and is reserved for the Somin, who control a lot of the local resources. From what I've seen I believe that the punishment for lower members of society found wearing the colour is severe - it's a baffling law, and the reasons behind it remain obscure to me. I'm especially unsure as to the nature of the Somin themselves, and have not yet seen one, despite requesting audiences with the local pair. They're spoken of with great reverence and whenever I ask after their nature I'm greeted with hostility and contempt.

I feel certain that whatever it is that makes the Somin and their blue dye sacred is at the heart of these people's beliefs, and those beliefs remain obscure to me. Sadly so, since I cannot begin to teach them the truth until I understand the foundations of their faith. I can only hope that I might inspire the same curiosity in them as they do in me.

Labels: Azul, Journal, Somin, Tandzin_ouHaddi

posted by Paul Duffield  # 12:06 0 comments

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