Illustrating "Who Killed Cock Robin?"
/Who Killed Cock Robin?
Who killed Cock Robin?
I, said the Sparrow,
with my bow and arrow,
I killed Cock Robin.
Who saw him die?
I, said the Fly,
with my little eye,
I saw him die.
Who caught his blood?
I, said the Fish,
with my little dish,
I caught his blood.
Who'll make the shroud?
I, said the Beetle,
with my thread and needle,
I'll make the shroud.
Who'll dig his grave?
I, said the Owl,
with my little trowel,
I'll dig his grave.
Who'll be the parson?
I, said the Rook,
with my little book,
I'll be the parson.
Who'll be the clerk?
I, said the Lark,
if it's not in the dark,
I'll be the clerk.
Who'll carry the link?
I, said the Linnet,
I'll fetch it in a minute,
I'll carry the link.
Who'll be chief mourner?
I, said the Dove,
I mourn for my love,
I'll be chief mourner.
Who'll carry the coffin?
I, said the Kite,
if it's not through the night,
I'll carry the coffin.
Who'll bear the pall?
We, said the Wren,
both the cock and the hen,
we'll bear the pall.
Who'll sing the psalm?
I, said the Thrush,
as she sat on a bush,
I'll sing a psalm.
Who'll toll the bell?
I, said the Bull,
because I can pull,
I'll toll the bell.
All the birds of the air
fell a-sighing and a-sobbing,
when they heard the bell toll
for poor Cock Robin.
Animals and birds are some of my favorite things to draw, so I took illustrating this odd little nursery rhyme as an excuse to do just that. The rhyme lists fourteen different species and I wanted to represent them all fairly realistically. Studying each creature and learning to draw it well enough to adapt it to my own composition was a wonderful exercise, and I learned a ton about birds!
COMPOSITION & COLOR
To offset the literal representation of the characters and their roles in the story, I chose to compose them in somewhat symmetrical, shield-like forms that complement the lyrical style of the writing. This was my first experimentation with watercolor - and color in general - so I opted to use a minimal palette for each piece. I hoped that the color would not only represent the passing of time (dawn, midday, dusk), but also the mood as the animals deal with the death of their pal Cock Robin (violence and anger, solidarity and support through community, sorrow and grief). Below are my color test sheets for each of the paintings.
The original paintings, each 5.5" x 8.25", are currently on display at Springhouse Gallery in Smyrna, TN. If you're interested in purchasing the originals, email me at hollycarden@gmail.com.
