NEKO CASE-INSPIRED ILLUSTRATION

Looking through the Communication Arts Annual (cited at the end), this illustration caught my eye immediately because of the movement, the animals, the colors, and the sense of fantasy/adventure. At first glance it would appear the red-haired girl is running from the animals, being chased by them; however, the title indicates that she is one of them, running with them, barefoot, wild, at one with nature in a forested area. It looked so familiar to me! Then I had an "aha" moment as I read the description and realized that the girl is Neko Case, an amazing singer/songwriter who seems to feel this way about herself, according to what I've read about her and images I've seen. (And she does have beautiful red hair.) 

I'm An Animal, by Jensine Eckwall

I looked at the Neko Case CDs I have to see if there is any similarity in the illustrative style (I was sure there was). Eh...not so much; but this one, "Fox Confessor Brings the Flood," does have certain similarities, the decapitated Neko Case heads notwithstanding.

Back cover, Fox Confessor Brings the Flood, by Neko Case

Then I remembered a video I'd seen for her song "Maybe Sparrow," and I watched it again. She does have a love for animals and the wildness of the world. The video combines animation (illustrative) and reality. It's worth watching. See it here:

MAYBE SPARROW VIDEO

ANYWAY, I'm An Animal is so "alive." the composition is so well-balanced and unified. Everything in the image—the direction of the animals' movement, the trees, the shape of the path, the girl's hair blowing back—creates a circular movement that keep your eyes following it around to the focal point (the girl), who is also made to stand out by the contrast between the snowy white background and the black dress and streak of red hair. The detail is amazing, and the line of animals doesn't end, as you can see teeny images on the far right of more coming. 

WAIT! As I continued looking more closely (how did I possibly miss this before?), I saw that the girl has a knife! Then I realized that she is among, actually leading the line of predators (and how did I not notice this at first either?); all of the animals, beginning with the girl, are predators of one kind or another, and they are all chasing the deer! Wow. Maybe as you looked at the image, you noticed these things right away. It made me feel so unobservant for not seeing them before. I think it's brilliantly done.

Neko Case has a liking for the bizarre and the macabre. Her songs often combine beauty with the sometimes ugly truths in this world. I saw her live at the Canopy Club a few years ago, and the imagery in the show was an important element that vividly complemented the music (she had an imaginative stage set including a giant owl looming above as well videos and projected images behind her and the band). In I'm An Animal, Jensine Eckwall captures beauty combined with the macabre/ugly truth so well. The piece is stunningly beautiful and haunting, but upon closer inspection, it (for me) elicits a feeling of almost horror or dread about what's going to happen to the deer. Or maybe the deer will outrun them all. I don't think that's really the point. The point is that the girl—Neko—is among the predators of the world, and it's not good or bad—it just is the way things are. All animals do what is in their nature to survive. And in this case, she is the leader of them all.

In terms of the composition, it's amazingly well-designed and also beautifully detailed. I love it. I even have a Pinterest board of just illustration. I absolutely love detailed illustration, especially of animals or animals with people. No wonder this one stood out to me as much as it did.

Source: 

I'm An Animal, by illustrator Jensine Eckwall, "a conceptual portrait of the singer Neko Case, who exerts a major aesthetic influence on me." (Personal work)    Jensine Eckwall's website

From Communication Arts Typography Annual 4, January/February 2014, p. 211. 


*An additional point of interest: After writing this blog, I opened Itunes and started listening to Neko Case songs, and whadayaknow? She has a song titled I'm An Animal on her 2009 CD Middle Cyclone!

I'm An Animal song lyrics (from MetroLyrics)
you could say it's my instinct
yes, I still have one
there's no time to second guess it
yes, there are things that I'm still so afraid of
but my courage is roaring like the sound of the sun
cause it's vain about its mane and will reveal them to no one
and I'm an animal, you're an animal too
pick up that rock, drink from that lake
I do my best but I'm made of mistakes
yes, there are still things I'm still quite sure of
I love you this hour, this hour today
and heaven will smell like the airport
but I may never get there to prove it
so let's not waste our time thinking how that ain't fair
I'm an animal, you're an animal too
you're an animal too