1. Combining Patricia Highsmith as an old woman, with her osteoporotic hump, creating a stooped, hunched posture, this gave me the idea to add the snail shell on her back. 2. Murder is a recurring theme within Highsmith’s novels and she seems partial to drowning or dumping bodies in the sea, I’ve tried to combine this with a cross section of her mind, creating the impression that her mind is dark and murky like the water the body is submerged in. 3. This rough is following a similar idea to no. 2, I was trying to think of different ways of combining an image of Highsmith with themes from her books.
4. I’m trying to capture a feeling of isolation in this rough. Later in her life Highsmith shut herself away from the world and sent more time with her cats and snails than people. I had the idea to place Highsmith in the corner of the composition to accentuate an isolated feeling. 5. This was a similar idea in terms of composition. I like the darkness, and with my mark making I’m trying to create the effect that the darkness is closing in on her.
6. I think this rough has a slightly more humorous tone, which I’m not sure fits with the subject matter. I've combined the theme of murder with the snail motif. 7. Highsmith’s books contain murder and psychological turmoil. Many of her lovers unfortunately died prematurely or committed suicide. She also became cruel in her old age. This rough is attempting to capture some of that darkness and destruction that Highsmith left in her wake or in her slime!
8. I found a quote that said that Highsmith never wasted any of the characteristics or foibles of her past partners, and she would use them in her characters.
9. This is the silhouettes of Highsmith's past girlfriends and lovers that haunt her and follow her in her isolated old age.
10. This is the same idea as No.7 with a different composition. I think this composition works better, and creates more depth. I need to tweak the positioning of the slime so that it doesn't go outside the frame. 11. Here I’m looking at themes of drowning, which can be found in her novels, but also I feel mentally she was drowning in loneliness and dark isolation.
12. This is an idea that I’m not really sure about, It’s more subtle than the others. The shell is a metaphor for Patricia Highsmith and its cracked and broken. Also I hope the simple composition creates a lonely and quite tone of voice. 13. Drowning again – looking at another way of combining water with Highsmith’s silhouette.