History : Book Illustration

Solway Spaceman
Book illustration
Should include consideration and samples of the integration type.
Consider the following questions:

Who's the book's target audience? - children
Is there a point at which stylisation gets in the way of communication of subject?
How much work do you need to do in order to convey your intention?
Where are the opportunities to add extra value? - Additional mock-ups, end pages, advertising, cover,

Research

The Solway Spaceman – A Snapshot of the Unknown
Date: 23 May 1964
Location: Burgh Marsh, near Burgh by Sands, overlooking the Solway Firth, Cumbria
Key Themes: Mystery, photography, Cold War anxiety, folklore, visual ambiguity.

The story: Spring day in 1964, Jim Templeton, a firefighter and amateur photographer from Carlisle, took three photos of his five-year-old daughter Elizabeth during a family outing to Burgh Marsh. When the film was developed, one image revealed a startling anomaly: a figure resembling a spaceman.

Templeton insisted no one else was present, and Kodak confirmed the photo was genuine and untampered. The image quickly gained international attention, sparking theories ranging from extraterrestrial visitation to secret military experiments. Some speculated a connection to nearby RAF Spadeadam, a Cold War missile test site.

The resolution:
In 2014, journalist David Clarke proposed an explanation: the figure was likely Templeton’s wife, Annie, whose pale blue dress appeared white due to overexposure. The camera used only showed 70% of the frame through the viewfinder, possibly causing Templeton to miss her presence.

Extras to consider: Templeton claimed he was later visited by two mysterious men identifying themselves only as “Number 9” and “Number 11,” who asked to be shown the photo’s location and then abruptly left. He also reported that a missile launch in Woomera, Australia, was aborted after figures resembling the “spaceman” were spotted on the range—adding a global dimension to the mystery

Items of importance:
The camera - Kodak - 1960s - viewfinder 70% - (Instamax Reflex 184 & Retina Reflex III)

Illustrated book - need to consider interesting compositions for page spreads

Artists
Joanna Concejo

Ideas + Research

Thumbnails

First Scene - On the moor - Background

Young girl - Flower patterns, shirts and skirt combos, mini dress, peter pan collars, vibrant tights and Mary-jane's.

Mother - Cloche hat - light colours to mess with photograph, one unified silhouette. (Consider accessories: Hat, umbrella, gloves etc.)

Father - Tweed jackets, jumpers, shirt and ties, layers. Caps outside. Cigarette. Earthy tones and colours.

The space race - cold war

The moor - sweeping landscapes and sheep.

Scene 1 - establishing shot - onto the moor - Lighting and tone - playful or mystery?

Scene 2: Out on the moor - too dark perhaps? spring day is not present.

Change tone/colours - add detail.

Scene 3: Dark room

Different angle of darkroom (thumbnails).

Tension :D

Scene 4: Viewing the footage - more child-like tone - playful colours, expression, friendly type.

Scene 5: Knock at door

Development

Book formatting - Square dimensions - tone sharp. contrast, simple

Cover idea

The many iterations of typography (best-of)

Mock-up - final cover design

Father, mother and daughter - each separating foreground, mid ground and background - reflected in their colours and detail. Spaces for minimal text (flash/click of camera? wind?)