Cara Tagima

There are many forgotten or unknown facts about witchcraft. I wanted to approach the theme of witchcraft with an open mind so I could understand what the practice really is. In a previous project I did on witches I created a character who had a broom stick, stripy tights and rebellious personality. The character was a stereotypical witch based upon common folklore. We are led to believe witches are generally evil people and to be feared, often portrayed this way in fables and fairy tales. I came to realise there was actually a very different perspective to be had, so used the time available to thoroughly research the subject. The results yielded some amazing information about witchcraft, about why people practice it today and how magical it is to be a part of it. 

I became interested in how witches use the practice to connect with earth and find mindfulness. The power of the practice allows witches to rebalance their energy, find protection and peace. I was fascinated by the witches who used nature to help them find energy which allowed them to achieve this. Nature is so beautiful, as is witchcraft and so this became my approach to the project. 

I wanted to be comprehensive and include all the different elements which help witches find this peace within nature, so decided a long illustration would allow me to do this to greatest effect. This not only allowed me to include lots of detail into a long illustration, but also gave the feeling of natural flow making it a peaceful, easy to follow image which embedded the nature of witches. My aim was to show how witches connected with the elements of the earth like water, and used crystals found in caves to protect themselves, as well as drinking potions as a form of spiritual self-care. I wanted to show witches using a crystal balls to predict the future, blending with the forests and surrounding themselves in the environment to form powerful bonds with nature and the animals. Colour was important in my illustration as I wanted vibrant natural colours to prompt feelings of empathy, closeness to nature, sense of beauty and energy. 

Johanna Polle featured as a prominent artist in this genre and research of her work inspired the themes of this project and the style of work employed for the digital outcome. Johanna Polle has a deep respect for the universe, nature and animals which was shown through her illustrations. Her illustrations reject the idea that witchcraft is a practice used to harm others. Instead, it is used in powerful ways to find peace in the world. Johanna Polle showed how beautiful and eccentric witchcraft can be with soft faced witches surrounded by detailed leaves and plants. 

Overall, I feel my project achieves what I set out to do: showcase the beauty of witchcraft, abolish the fear and show a brighter and more harmonious nature loving perspective that can bring light to people lives.