Elizabeth FutchFRMS 7331June 10, 2009

Elizabeth FutchFRMS 7331June 10, 2009

I chose to illustrate Herman E. Calloway. I chose this character because of his underlying significance throughout the entire story. He was not always a likeable character, but I think he had a lot of pride. This was a difficult time for African Americans in America. I believe that Herman was doing his best to provide a future for his daughter in the only way he knew how.

The Heart: I chose to remove Herman’s heart from his body and place it outside in the ‘sunny’ area. The heart carries the name of his daughter, Angela, on it. The heart is wearing the big- brimmed hat that Herman made Angela wear in the horse photo. I chose to use the hat because it was something that Angela obviously identified as one of the moments that created tension between her and Herman.

The Backbone: The backbone is the ‘giant fiddle’ that Herman played in his band. I believe music was his identity and his passion in life. I think that without his music and instrument, Herman would not be identifiable as a significant figure during that time period.

The Hands: In Herman’s hands he is carrying the rock from Flint. The Flint rock seemed to hold more significance in the story and was the only rock that Bud kept at the end of the story.

The Feet: For me, the body is more of what he is sitting upon rather than what he is standing upon. His feet are firmly on the ground as he is not really a dreamer but more of a practical man. He is sitting on the collection of rocks that he saved for his daughter’s return. Each rock contains a date and place of where he played.

The Background: There are many things going on in the background. The rain cloud above Herman is for the constant bad mood he seemed to portray. On the left side of the drawing is the sun. The sun is shining down upon the symbolism for Angela. The suitcase signifies Bud and his emergence into Herman’s world. I believe that Bud will carry that sun and happiness with him and hopefully bring the joy to Herman that he so obviously brought to his mom. Not so much in the background, but significant all the same, is the tear falling from Herman’s eye. I chose to put a tear to show that Herman was human and did have feelings. He showed a lot of emotion when he had discovered that Angela had died.

Medium: I used mostly pencil drawing. I felt that the black and grey of the pencil (HB and B leads) signified Herman’s character as a harsh and uncaring person. I blended some of the medium and let other parts have more of a lined quality (mostly for contrast). I did add a little colored pencil on the left side of the drawing to signify the joy and happiness that Angela brought to his life. The yellow beams are spreading out toward the ‘darkness’ in hope that Bud will bring happiness to his grandfather. I also chose to add one blue tear to the pencil part of the drawing. I did this to show that while Herman was harsh and uncaring most of the time, there was an element of sadness and longing for his daughter whom he loved dearly.